


Cinnamon Hearts

by FandomObsessions016



Series: Cinnamon Hearts. [1]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, High School, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:13:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29419935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomObsessions016/pseuds/FandomObsessions016
Summary: Written for Inuyasha Sugar and Spice event on Tumblr!Kagome is a bona fide queen, and on one fateful day in kindergarten she meets her king; Inuyasha. From then on they are inseparable. That is… until one day… a single game threatens to tear apart her inner kingdom and she needs to decide between keeping her king or keeping her secret.
Relationships: Ayame/Miroku (InuYasha), Higurashi Kagome & Hojo, Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, InuYasha/Kikyou (InuYasha), Koharu/Miroku (InuYasha), Miroku/Sango (InuYasha), Sango/Takeda Kuranosuke
Series: Cinnamon Hearts. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161236
Comments: 19
Kudos: 34
Collections: Inuyasha Sugar and Spice 2021





	1. My King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this story was originally a one shot that turned into a 70 fluff monster. More chapters to be uploaded soon!! This fic is 80% written, so you'll be getting updates regularly until it is completed. 
> 
> The other chapters are longer I promise...
> 
> ALSO I have a playlist that I've been using for inspiration for this story. You can find that here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/12n5ttoi5hq01dLkPirDnR?si=bVqzb7aURiq1YcsPdoR_tg

We met in kindergarten. He was new, but I instantly knew he would be my friend, in the same way every five-year-old just _knows_. We first saw each other at morning drop off and it was fate. He had those big gold eyes that I wanted to drown in and fluffy ears that made me squeal - literally, not figuratively, it scared my mother. He was fidgeting and pulling on his mother’s sleeve, clearly nervous about his first day in an unfamiliar place.

It took one look. He locked eyes with me accidentally and I smiled, my whole world suddenly enveloping in sparkling silver and gold never to return to the prior dreary dullness I had known before. He had frowned at me, but I wasn’t going to be deterred. My mother had always told me that I had an innate ability to find good souls. I thought she was crazy until I saw him because I swear I could see and feel his energy. It was so warm, so brilliant, and it sucked me right in. Icarus to the sun and all that jazz.

I was a bona fide queen on the playground and wanted him on my royal court for a game and, well, for the rest of my life. So, as a queen does, I demanded he kiss the ring - my ring-pop, it was candy - but, get this, the obstinate demon _denied_ my request. He left _me_ , Kagome Higurashi, queen and ruler of the playground and all its adjoining spaces, standing there by my lonesome in the middle of the dirt patch where too many kids’ feet ran across for life to grow.

That had _never_ happened before.

And from that moment, henceforth, I would never let him go.

Later that day, I had pulled my pillow and blanket over to him during nap time and demanded an audience. He so _graciously_ allowed me to take up a space next to him and plead my case.

We didn’t sleep. It would be the first of many days and nights that he and I would ignore that ache in the back of our eyes begging us to just fucking rest, but there… in Mrs. Nazuna’s classroom, surrounded by a dozen of our peers, I learned the name of my king: Inuyasha.

“Is that _really_ your name?” I had asked, braiding his silver hair over his many protests. He eventually acquiesced, letting my tiny nimble fingers run through what I was sure was something smoother than silk that would make even gods jealous. I would later learn, he actually really liked it when I played with his hair, which I was more than happy to do repeatedly.

“Yes,” he had responded, a small scowl present even then. He was such a serious kid. It was strange, really, how immature and adorable Inuyasha was while also being overly serious and skeptical. I drank it in, lapping up every moment of his time and essence that I could.

I had no idea what it was at the time, looking back on it now I realize I was doomed from the start, but on that first day, I just basked in that warm fluttery feeling I got in his presence. He made me feel like a _real_ queen, not just some little girl who had a big mouth that everyone seemed to enjoy listening to, but like I mattered in a way I had never experienced before.

I had huffed in response to his prior answer, watching his tender ears swivel as the teacher moved around the classroom. We were safe though because I was the queen of this room and he was my king. That and we were hidden behind a bookshelf, speaking in something softer than a whisper.

I would not let anyone come between us, not after having just been granted an audience.

“I’m Kagome,” I had stated, not that he’d asked but, goddamn it, he would be my friend. I wouldn’t budge on that. My heart just reached out for him in the same way that a puppy craves attention. It was the strangest thing. Even the thought of walking away from him, of not reaching a mutual understanding that he and I could be something special, caused my chest to swell in pain. I _had_ to make him mine.

Thankfully, he hadn’t objected to my friendship. Not once. From that first day onward we were inseparable. I mean it. The teachers were worried, going on and on to our parents about our “social development” and how being so reliant on each other would “stunt” our growth.

I think our parents always knew though. We were a pair and despite the grave warnings, they never separated us. In fact, they encouraged it like the psychopaths they were. They even gave our friendship a name: Salt and Pepper.

Get it? It’s because I have dark, raven hair and he has silver, almost white hair. It was a terrible pun, but… our mothers enjoyed it _endlessly_.

The thing though, about our… _relationship_ was that… we constantly had to prove, over and over and over, that even though he was a boy and that I was a girl, there was nothing romantic about it. We were just good friends. Are… _just_ good friends.

Let me explain further.

After he began attending the same kindergarten as I, we became quite the spectacle. My valiant king helped me run the playground and, really, just made me laugh. We played together, we ate together, and of course, we napped together. He was a great sport, most of the time anyway. Inuyasha would let me tell him the stories I’d made up for my dolls and even - though he will deny it to everyone else - contributed to my world-building. I always reciprocated. What kind of queen would I have been if I let my man fend for himself? When he wanted to play with dull trains or have pretend sword fights, I always joined him. Because that’s what friends did.

This, as I’m sure you could imagine, was a scandal on the playground. Don’t even get me started on the day I showed up in pants because it was his turn to decide what activities we would do and I _knew_ he wanted to engage in some parkour crap that would have my dresses and skirts either ripped or flying over my head. Anyway, that’s a tale for a different day. The point being, we were the talk of the town and from then on no one wanted to accept that our connection was something so much more pure and deeper than the other fickle kindergarten relationships.

We were… us. He was my Yash and I was his Kags; a trouble-making duo that took the school by storm. We even did that really cliche thing where we carved our names into the tree. No heart or anything, because… well we were just friends and we were _five_. Still, all the other pairs who carved their names into that same tree fell apart. But us? You’d have a better shot boiling water with ice.

Or, so I had thought.

Still, our classmates had never understood.

Every other day a peer would approach at least one of us, if not both of us, to ask if we were an _item_. And each time we would have the same response:

“Ew, I don’t want cooties… we’re just playing.” This was also normally accompanied by an eye roll, a scoff, or a piercing glare.

I know, the maturity we had exhibited at that age was _staggering_.

But here’s the thing… it never let up. Ever.

And…

I caught feelings.

Yup.

I know.

Trust me…. I _know_ …

Now, the feelings didn’t come until later, but let me explain what we were up against and the trap these… these… _plebeians_ set for me.

He was my first kiss.

It was a dare. Again, not a single soul in our second-grade class could comprehend our relationship. How is a boy just friends with a girl?! It’s absurd! They must be lying! We’ll _make_ them see it’s all a lie!

Garbage. Every last one of them. Pure human garbage.

But, so, there we were… during recess in second grade, glued to the hip doing some weird thing kids do before the world ruins their imaginations and sense of wonder with responsibilities and cold hard truths. We were playing when a group of kids got together to play a new game. Truth or dare. Some girl, Sara maybe… I don’t know, had an older sister who played truth or dare all the time.

It had seemed so innocent, so _cool_ , at the time to play that game. Little did I realize the true horror on the other side of that ridiculous game that had clearly been designed by Satan himself.

Inuyasha and I sat down, he, true to form, was skeptical. Really though, he was always skeptical of other kids in general. Most other kids didn’t treat him well. They didn’t… To be frank, the other kids were full-on jerks. My king was valiant and unique and amazing, but… they treated him like he was everyday trash instead of a gem more precious than the Sacred Jewel. Whatever. I’m not bitter…

While they were busy judging and ostracizing him, it had meant I got to spend more time with him, I guess. Just to be clear, as _his_ queen… I never let those idiots get away with being mean to my king. _Ever_.

Back to the game though.

I was excited but Inuyasha had needed some convincing. My mother had sent me to school with these candies, they were those sweet but spicy cinnamon heart things? I wasn’t a big fan, but Inuyasha _loved_ them. The first time I brought them he _sniffed_ them out of my bag and devoured the whole box. The boy smelled like cinnamon for the rest of the day.

I didn’t really care for them personally, but my mother was always buying them. So we created a bartering system.

He would join me to play and see what this super cool new game was like, and I would give him my candies. He had readily agreed and walked by my side collecting his payment and making me as happy as a clam. My valiant king was clearly a shrewd negotiator and I loved him all the more for it.

I didn’t even care that as we sat in that circle, my legs bouncing with unconstrained intrigue and excitement, that Inuyasha wasn’t paying attention in the slightest. He was happy eating his candies that stained his mouth red, keeping me company.

Not even five minutes in… one of the kids looked directly at me. Again Inuyasha couldn’t give less of a shit, but I’ll never forget that dirty, devious smirk or the way this kid’s right brow raised slowly, eyes dancing in delight as he looked me over, his gaze flitting to Inuyasha at the last possible second.

It sent a chill down my tiny little spine, a breath catching in my naive little throat as I waited. I, like the ignorant little girl I was, had chosen dare. Never choose dare. Always choose truth. _Always_. I didn’t like the look that kid had because in the final milliseconds before he spoke, I knew what he was going to do wasn’t going to be… nice. He had picked this particular dare to cause us the most discomfort possible. To really challenge our relationship or… make one of us feel bad.

Either way… that kid is _still_ on my shit list. _Naraku_.

“I dare you to kiss Inuyasha,” he had declared, inciting a round of giggles and hushed whispers. The beady eyes of our other classmates all looking at me, as if _this_ singular act would prove to Inuyasha and me, once and for all, that we were not friends but simply in denial.

I _wish_ I had frozen or laughed nervously, something that wasn’t a big deal. Instead, I sputtered like an idiot. Inuyasha paused his munching and glared at the little red-eyed bitch, before rolling his eyes. While I was still _trying_ to speak, he placed a tender kiss on my cheek.

What a guy.

But of course… _that_ wasn’t the dare. _I_ had to kiss _him_. So I extorted the same loophole Inuyasha had cleverly identified. Naraku had never specified where or how long the kiss needed to be. I leaned over, careful not to get in his personal space too much, and placed a little kiss on his cheek then sat back down triumphantly.

Naraku though… he wouldn’t forget that. Like I said, _little_ _bitch_.

We didn’t play truth or dare again. At least… not for a while. We’ll come back to that later…

Things only got worse in middle school. As if it wasn’t bad enough puberty was hitting and making things overly hormonally charged and awkward in general, people continued to purposefully put us in compromising positions for _entertainment_.

Ugh.

This may take a hot second… but let me explain…

Inuyasha and I had every class together from kindergarten through fifth grade. Every. Class. We hung out _constantly_. We were always each other’s pair for projects. We played together at recess every day. After school, he would always come over to my place until his mother got out of work and would pick him up. We had sleepovers every Friday. And every Saturday we woke up for cartoons. Sundays were either park days or movie days.

Are you getting the picture now? When I said _inseparable_ I meant it. And this didn’t change just because we got taller or more awkward about our bodies.

What did change was that we didn’t have _all_ our classes together. Certain electives we didn’t share. No amount of meltdowns or tears would _fix_ that. Trust me on that… I tried.

This is when we made other friends out of pure necessity. Enter: Sango and Miroku. I met Sango in band and Inuyasha met Miroku… somewhere. I never really heard that story… one day Miroku just showed up with that stupid, broad grin. Inuyasha was still my king and I still his queen, but now we had a duke and duchess to join us and help us maintain the kingdom. Things were different, but running smoothly still. 

As we… _aged_ … it was helpful to have Sango and Miroku to rely on. I had once tried to talk to Inuyasha about _woman stuff_ and I am almost positive I scarred him for life.

Whoops.

Inuyasha and I were more than happy to remain isolated in our scheduled worlds full of sleepovers and hangouts, but then the rules changed. Specifically… our parents imposed restrictions on our time together. Suddenly, he was no longer allowed to sleep on the bed with me, so we moved to the living room where we both still fell asleep on top of each other, tangled in the other as if the other would cease to exist if we weren’t physically connected. The big difference then being we always had a kink in our neck or someone would complain about sleeping on the bar between the sections. We no longer really cared about the park as much, but instead began going to the arcade or the mall with Sango and Miroku. There were differences, growing pains, as was to be expected. Still, we were indivisible.

In and around eighth grade though, things began to drastically veer off course. People started having parties and parents were beginning to feel less inclined to keep a strict eye on their kids.

Hormones. Hormones were the real problem. You had to be careful where you walked, catching feelings was as common as catching a cold in winter. Crushes… everywhere. It was… gross.

Remember how we played truth or dare in elementary school? Yeah, that came back with a vicious bite and the dares were getting far more… risqué every time we played. Like I said… hormones and disgusting crushes were pushing people to begin exploring their sexuality with other pimple-faced awkward teens. Thankfully, I had stuck to my handy strategy: always pick truth. _Always_.

Still, parties with less and less supervision were becoming more common. I had always _loved_ parties though. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people, playing games, experiencing different things. Inuyasha? Fucking hated them. Groaned and complained the entire time. But… I couldn’t just go to a party without my _king_ … He objected strenuously every time. In the end though… he always humored his queen.

Why?

Because by then our friendship was unshakeable. That… and I continued to feed his odd obsession with those stupid cinnamon hearts. Every time I was invited to a party, I gave him a package of those silly things in exchange for his time. At that point in our friendship, it was more or less a tradition rather than a requirement. He’d come with me regardless of whether I expressly promised him candies.

He was my king.

So, we’d go to the parties together and while I played games or talked to people, he would always sit nearby, crunching on those ridiculous things. In fact, the sound of him biting on the candies was practically the soundtrack to our friendship. But, if that’s what made him happy, who was _I_ to deny him?

As I mentioned a hundred years ago, the constant pressure our peers placed on us to admit that we were more than we were or to use our closeness against us as a weapon for comedy or sport continued.

I’ll never forget the first time _it_ happened.

I had been going to parties with Inuyasha for a good bit, most of the people in attendance knew us and knew our relationship. Though they didn’t understand it, they knew of it. And of course… our tale would not be complete without little bitch.

Naraku. He was also regularly at events in our grade.

So, there we were. Inuyasha reclined next to me, chewing on the candies and checking his phone, either texting Miroku or playing a game. Me, again, sitting _in_ the group, legs bouncing, giddy smile plastered on my face, waiting to hear more about this _new_ game. It was called Seven Minutes in Heaven.

You probably already know what that game is and what it implies. I didn’t. I was a naive idiot who was just so gosh darn excited to play!

The rules were explained and I tried to excuse myself. I did. I tried. I swear. But Sango… she had… she had… a… _crush_ , ick… I know. But she had a crush on this guy in our grade. I was the only one who knew. This, by the way, is how I ended up in that dumb circle to begin with. It was my job… as her _friend_ … to select her and this guy to be paired together. Problem was that that opened me up to being paired as well.

I bet you’ll never guess who Naraku paired me with…

Our first time in the closet went a little something like this:

“Okay,” Inuyasha stated, shaking his head, gold eyes flitting around the tiny coat closet we were stuck in before he closed them, waiting for my signal.

“One… two… three!” I announced, clapping my hands together at the end for emphasis.

He had looked up instantly, his black brows rising, radiant eyes going cross and mouth hanging open with his little fangs poking out. I instantly burst out into laughter and soon he was laughing with me, my face a mirror of his.

We had a _grand_ fucking time between the coats, looking into each other’s eyes and coexisting in our shared world.

What, pray tell, were we doing?

We had decided to pass the time in the closet together by playing a game and we were making funny faces at each other. The goal, initially being to see who would make the craziest face. If you laughed first, you lost. However, the goal had changed because… well… my king and I were in _sync_. We kept making the same faces as the other. Over and over. It was one of the most fun times I’d ever had in a closet.

Naraku had not been pleased when he flung open the door only to find us both still separate and gasping for breath because we’d been laughing too hard. He wouldn’t be deterred though.

At the next party, Sango had pulled me into the circle again and Naraku saw his chance. He had told us that there was only so long we could enjoy making faces at each other before we’d _have_ to smash faces.

He was real eloquent.

So, there we were… in a tight closet… together… again. This closet, though a little bigger, was more cramped. Large, heavy coats filled it to the brim and this weird, old leather smell permeated the air. Inuyasha and I sat close together, our knees touching, but faces still separated by a foot or more of space.

“Hmm,” I had murmured, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth. I could feel his gaze on me, watching me in that really intense way that was just so _him_. It made me smile despite myself and ruined my concentration. “Ugh, I can’t remember with you staring at me like that!”

“Oh sure, blame it on me!” He sneered, the corners of his mouth turned upwards in a cocky grin. He had me and he had fucking known it. Inuyasha was just making me suffer for his own pleasure.

“I don’t know which episode you’re referring to!” I finally exclaimed, rolling my eyes.

Naraku had been right about us getting bored with making faces at each other. Instead of doing that, we decided to grill each other on trivia related to our favorite cartoon that we’d watched a dozen times as kids. His memory for those things was _significantly_ better than mine. Like… by leagues. It wasn’t even a real competition.

Inuyasha shook his head.

He _shook_ his head! At _me_!

“Oh don’t give me that!” I laughed, “I’m sorry…”

“This is just… unforgivable.” He jested, feigning offense as the closet door opened.

“Seriously?” Naraku hissed, glaring at us. “Trivia?”

Inuyasha and I looked at each other briefly but then nodded as we turned back to him.

The _third_ time we were forced into a closet together as hormonal teens though… that… that was… _magical_ and weird, but so much fun.

There was _no_ space between us that time… because… well… this closet was overflowing with junk. Naraku shoved us in and we were already on top of each other before the door locked us inside, but that closet had had a light. So, small blessings I guess.

“Oh wow,” I had gasped lightly, eyes wide as I peered over into his lap, mesmerized by him. “Wait, show me it again?” I murmured, biting my lip nervously and looking at him with big, pleading eyes.

“Kags!” He whined, “pay _attention_. You act like you’ve never seen this before.”

“Um… I haven’t…”

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered, pulling it out again and showing me.

“H-how does it fit in there?” I had asked, turning my head and examining it from different angles.

“I swear, you’re lucky you’re my friend,” Inuyasha bemoaned.

“Oh please, I could easily find this on the internet if I really wanted to.”

“Great, thanks. Really appreciate the ego boost.” He griped, shoving the stuffed rabbit back in the dingy hat.

Magic.

We were practicing magic tricks. Inuyasha’s mother was a big fan of silly tricks for a minute and her birthday had been coming up. We were planning a show for her and Inuyasha was significantly better at it all than I was. While we waited to be released from our temporary imprisonment, he was showing me a few of the new tricks he’d learned and was practicing at the party while the rest of our friends and I participated in the feeble acts of debauchery our classmates were attempting.

I wish I could tell you that Naraku and our other classmates had learned their lesson. I wish I could tell you that they realized that my bond with Inuyasha was too good to be dragged down by their petty attempts at match-making.

But it wasn’t.

Why?

Because high school changed the rules. High school… _ruined_ me.

High school ruined _us_.

So, you may be wondering, what’s this story about anyway? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s about how this queen, almost lost her crown, her thrown, but worst of all… it’s about how this queen almost lost her _king_ …

Hindsight, of course, has perfect vision, but at the time I did not. I was a girl becoming a woman who fought bitterly against change that was inevitable. I didn’t want to open my eyes. I didn’t want to _see_ what was right in front of me. I didn’t want to _admit_ what was right in front of me. I didn’t want to confront the truth of the reality before me. Because that was just so overwhelming to process.

And I was scared.

Petrified really… of what it would all mean and how it would all influence my relationship with the only person who really mattered to me. What I wanted more than anything was to keep my king…

To keep Inuyasha.

I loved him before I knew what love was. I had to learn in reverse that what we had, what we _have_ , isn’t friendship. It’s so much more. He’d spoiled me from that first moment we met and from then on and forevermore… I was lost in him.

He had held my little, beating heart in his hand from the start. He was _my_ king, but more importantly, I was _his_. I was his queen, his best friend, and his to cherish. I was and never would be anyone else’s.

But, as a teen, I didn’t know that. I naively assumed that all best friends were the same. That he and I just operated on the same wavelength instead of on an entirely different plane of connection.

I was too naive, too drunk on his presence to see what everyone else saw. I mean… even _little bitch_ knew before I did!

High school forced my eyes open, tested our “unshakable” bond, and made me confront my biggest fear.

Worse still… for a moment, high school made my biggest fear real.

All because I caught feelings for my best friend… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH I HOPE YOU LIKED IT SO FAR <3
> 
> Announcement: I have a sequel for this story already drafted. If you liked this, keep your eyes peeled for more. ; )
> 
> Or… you can let me know on Tumblr and follow me for updates on this story, its sequel, and more! :)
> 
> Tumblr: FandomObsessions016
> 
> xoxo


	2. Maple Leaf.

I wasn’t excited about high school. I was excited about _college_. If it had been up to me I would have skipped high school and moved on to college immediately. But they don’t just let fourteen-year-olds go to college. Especially not fourteen-year-olds like myself who were only slightly above average grade-wise.

“Ugh,” I whined, lounging on the couch next to Inuyasha, Saturday morning the week before high school started.

“Oh quit your complaining,” he chastised, digging his hand into a box of cereal and eating it plain. “It won’t be _that_ bad.”

He was almost certainly right, but that wasn’t the point. The point was I was dreading our first day of classes. I was upset. Inuyasha and I only had a few classes together. I blamed him. He and Miroku and their inane desire to try “metal shop.”

Like… could you be any more of a stereotypical teenage boy? _Metal shop_?

Sango had convinced me to take an introduction to culinary course with her. She was thinking about becoming a chef and wanted to make sure she actually enjoyed cooking before dedicating herself to it, which was fair. But, in order to take said class with her, it had required me to move some things around. Some things being my courses with Inuyasha.

I had never cared for high school before, but then, knowing that I wouldn’t get to see him as much, I _really_ didn’t like it. The problem was that Inuyasha didn’t seem even the slightest bit bothered by it.

“Ugh!” I repeated, dramatically falling back into the couch.

Inuyasha stopped his chewing for five seconds, gold gaze looking over at me with a single raised brow. “You’re hogging the blanket again.”

I rolled my head to the side to see him more clearly and narrowed my gaze at him before gripping the blanket and pulling _more_ of it onto me.

“Really?” He challenged dryly. “You’re upset about going to high school so you take it out on me by stealing the blanket?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Real mature, Kags.” Inuyasha sneered. I waited though. I knew him better than I knew myself. He was going to sit there for two seconds, _think_ about letting me get away with the blanket thievery, then reach out and steal the whole thing from me.

See, as a half-demon, he’d always been stronger than normal. But for a single millisecond in our relationship, I had had a growth spurt and was not only a little taller than him, but our strength was matched. He had _hated_ it. With a passion.

Well… this past summer he had had a major growth spurt and was now not only several inches taller than me but _significantly_ stronger too.

I still remember the day he’d realized he could overpower me with the ease that a hot knife cuts through butter. Inuyasha had had the most wicked smile I think I’d ever seen on him. Every day since he took immeasurable joy in exploiting his advantages as a boy and as a half-demon over me, a weak little human girl.

A very regal and innately powerful, human queen though, of course.

It fascinated me to no end that my scrawny best friend had _that_ much strength in his noodle arms.

This is how I knew that when he briefly looked back over at me, not even caring to put down the cereal he held in one hand, that I was about to be left blanket-less and cold.

“Don’t…” I warned, noticing his free hand creeping over to the edge of the blanket near me. “Yash…”

“Yes, Kags?”

“Don’t…”

“Don’t what?” He asked, feigning innocence. He was so predictable.

“Don’t take the blanket!” I whined, clutching it to my chest, “please?! I’m cold…”

“Oh… I wonder what that’s like!” He scoffed. I felt his hand grip the fabric just above my thigh and I sighed dramatically, knowing that I had mere seconds before he was going to overpower me.

Rude, but I still loved him. 

“I’ll share!” I suddenly exclaimed, lifting my hands in a truce. “I’ll share the blanket.”

He rolled his eyes but lifted his hand from my thigh all the same. We were already practically sitting on top of each other as we watched the shows, but I scooted closer, pressing my legs against his and tossing half the blanket over him. He grinned in content then went back to eating cereal from the box without milk.

My king was a heathen. Plain and simple. My favorite heathen though… Not like little bitch who was a heathen in a totally different manner of speaking.

“Inuyasha!”

I rolled my eyes. It was my brother, Sota. He loved Inuyasha. Like… so much so that sometimes I worried that my affection for my best friend was negligible in comparison.

My king looked over at Sota just as my little brother came crashing into him. This in turn caused Inuyasha to fall over on to me, bits of dry cereal breaking free, briefly flying through the air and landing on yours truly.

“Great,” I muttered, glaring over at my brother who was shoving his handheld gaming device in Inuyasha’s face, completely oblivious to the dried wheat bits that littered my chest and lap, or at least the part of my lap where Inuyasha’s head wasn’t taking up.

“Look! Look! I beat it! I finally beat it!” Sota exclaimed.

“Great job,” Inuyasha responded, blinking rapidly and trying to focus on the screen that was too close to his face.

Sota pulled it back and sighed loudly, his expression the epitome of nirvana as the soft music from the game played in the background.

“Awesome, now that he’s shown you his game thing, can you… get off?” I sneered, looking down at Inuyasha.

“Nah,” he replied, lifting the box up and continuing to eat.

“Excuse you!”

“What? _I’m_ comfy,” he grinned mischievously.

There was no winning with him. Whether it be over the blanket or this. So… I retaliated in the only way I knew how… I started dropping the pieces of cereal on his face. Don’t get me wrong, I did so gently. I wasn’t out to hurt my obnoxious king, just inconvenience him. The first landed on his nose and he twitched. Then I placed one on his eye, which he picked off. Then… well then I got an idea.

Giggling to myself, I placed one of the pieces on his ear.

“Hey!” Inuyasha hissed, his ear flicking as he abruptly sat up. “That’s cheap.”

I shrugged, “aw, you can dish it but you can’t take it?” I teased, reaching up and rubbing the ear I so rudely offended.

He pulled away from my touch _immediately_.

I had forgotten. Inuyasha hated when people touched his ears. He used to let me play with them all the time. Correction, I didn’t really _play_ with them so much as rub and massage them or help him keep them warm. As kids, he never wore a hat in winter. It was pretty commonplace for me to use my mitten-clad hands to shield his ears from the cold. But, recently, Inuyasha had been getting pretty defensive over them.

So, when I had reached up to rub them, out of habit I think, he pulled away from me quickly.

I frowned a little, “I’m sorry… I forgot…”

He had narrowed his eyes at me but didn’t otherwise say anything. He just leaned back against me, before helping me pick off the cereal that was in my lap as the next cartoon came on. My king wasn’t always one to speak his feelings, but as he settled in next to me I knew I was forgiven for my indiscretion. I still found it odd that he no longer let me touch them but that was a conversation for a different day. Saturday cartoons were our ritual and I had no intention of ruining it.

“Don’t worry about high school,” he murmured, eyes fixed forward, watching the silly cartoon like we did every Saturday after our sleepover. “It won’t be any different and it’ll be over before you know it.”

Lies. It _would_ be different and it stretched on for far too long.

* * * * *

Sango clapped her hands loudly in front of her, a magnificent smile covering her splendid face, as we walked to our elective. We were a week into the fall semester of our freshmen year and, well, I was still adjusting.

I knew it was silly, to miss my king so much, but I _missed_ him. For the better part of ten years, he had been by my side, through everything. I just… I just wanted to share it all with him. _Everything_. Was that really so bad or hard to understand?

Like this kid in one of my classes liked to steal and nibble on uncooked pasta - I know, really strange, also a little concerning because I think that stuff expands in your stomach but _anyway_ … There were just things - like _that_ \- that I couldn’t share with him anymore and things that he _didn’t_ share with me. I found it frustrating and frankly depressing. We had shared so much but that sentiment was beginning to wane. To put it simply, I didn’t like it.

Sango was great though. She was ecstatic. Having a grand ol’ time in the class and really enjoying everything that it had to offer. At least, she enjoyed all the parts between telling me to stop sighing so much.

“I re-read the syllabus last night,” she gushed as she pushed through the throng of students on our way to the elective wing of the building.

“Why?” I asked, genuinely concerned. Who was that excited about a syllabus? My friends were all weirdos, clearly. But what did that say about me? I mean… they were _my_ friends… 

“ _Because_ ,” she remarked, “it all sounds like so much fun! I can’t wait to get out of the basics. I know what a frying pan is… can we actually fry something?!”

“Some people might not know,” I tried to reason, only half paying attention as I checked my phone again. Nothing. Inuyasha had promised to text me more throughout the day, but it seemed he had forgotten…

“Hey, Earth to Kagome!” Sango had muttered, grabbing my shoulder and forcing me to look at her. Her mulberry eyes immediately dropped down to examine the screen on my phone. She caught me red-handed, staring longingly at the last messages I had sent Inuyasha prior to the previous class.

I knew she wanted to roll her eyes or maybe even physically shake some sense into me, but she didn’t. Sango just sighed dramatically and kept walking.

“What?” I asked, irately.

“No, nope, don’t worry about it Kagome.” She muttered, walking through the threshold of the classroom. “Just, you know… maybe get your head out of your phone and _try_ to enjoy the class. I know it’s not as alluring as metal shop or whatever, but if you stopped thinking about Inuyasha for ten seconds you might actually have a little _fun_.”

“He said he’d text me,” I whined, instantly hearing how pathetic I sounded. “I just… miss him. It’s weird.”

We took our seats and Sango leveled that heavy gaze me at. We were only a week in and she was so over my longing and constant yearning to be reunited with my best friend. “Kagome… this is your chance to branch out. See people besides Inuyasha. I mean… this is _high_ _school_ … we should be enjoying it! Not living in our phones.”

“Yeah well… what’s so great about _high school_?” I sneered, looking back at her with the same disdain she was using when referring to the way I always sought out my king, as if it was a _bad_ thing to do that.

Sango was always straight to the point. It was a quality I highly valued in Inuyasha, and it was one that I also appreciated in her. A lot of people like to tell you what you want to hear but not the truth. Not Sango though. She’d tell you what was up even if you didn’t ask, because with Sango, there was no time to waste. Every moment, every minute, every _second_ , was an opportunity and she was determined to lap it up. She didn’t have time to sidestep around your ego and/or your misplaced pride.

This woman, the woman who looked at life as a challenge to be conquered, as soon as I asked that question, her whole demeanor shifted. She was no longer bored, disinterested, and annoyed with my actions, but she seemed suddenly inspired.

She tilted her head toward me, that mulberry gaze narrowing ever-so-slightly, a devious glint in her eye, and a mischievous smirk to match. Then she let me in on the secret. “What’s so great about high school?” She repeated, voice dripping with suspense and intrigue, “ _dating_.”

I rolled my eyes immediately. Really? _That_ was her answer? Absurd.

“What’s so great about that?” I asked.

I knew why _she_ was excited. Her parents were more strict than my mother was. Her parents had established very clear ground rules early on. Well, really… they’d set up _one_ rule: no boys. Period.

She’d had a crush on this kid, Kuranosuke Takeda, for all of eighth grade and now that she was in high school her parents were giving her an inch of freedom. She intended to stretch that inch out as far as it would go. Their rules had never really stopped her to begin with though. Sango and Kuranosuke were dating in all but name.

Sango leaned in toward me, the same look of mischief coloring her expression, “Kagome… maybe… if you stopped checking your phone every five seconds waiting for your _friend_ to text you back… you could, you know, spot something or some _one_ you like…” She spoke slowly, each syllable thick with a tone I only recognized from movies. It was seductive and heady, and it sent a small chill down my spine.

My friend was, evidently, a thirsty bitch. And she wanted me to be on team thirsty with her.

“Or, you know, just jump Inuyasha’s bones and make that official.” Sango just… _tossed_ that comment out there like it was something as mundane and expected as eating _lunch_ together. Then, _then_ she leaned back in her chair, a single brow raised as she watched my expression, not the least bit bothered by her scandalous and provocative suggestion.

I gaped immediately. How dare she! Inuyasha and I were _friends_! She of all people knew that! “No,” I spat out, glaring at her. “Sango, don’t do that. He and I are friends.”

“Oh, I am _very_ aware of that.”

“Sango,” I warned. Everyone else could say whatever they wanted, but I really couldn’t handle that… that… _doubt_ … that _accusation_ … from her. I got it enough from Naraku and everyone else.

“Just, do me a favor,” she replied gently, “don’t forget to take stock of what is right in front of you… or _who_ is right in front of you.”

*****

I hated what Sango said and how she’d said it to me. She had been so… so… cavalier… so… dismissive… so… _smug_.

And also… so fucking right.

Jerk.

It took all of ten seconds for me to develop a crush. Like, one moment I was just sitting there and then I looked up and it hit me across the face; I was dumbstruck. Inuyasha was telling me something, but I wasn’t listening. I was just… staring. The brilliant eyes. The light hair. The face of an angel. I’d never understood the idea of Cupid coming in and shooting you with an arrow full of feelings until _right_ then. It was extraordinary.

I was in math, which, really, was the worst class ever but made suddenly better on that day.

I have no recollection of what ridiculous metal shop story Inuyasha was trying to tell me, I just remember sighing and looking across the room. And… sitting right there, off to the side, was a boy with deep sapphire eyes that rivaled the depths of the ocean, sandy brown hair that looked about as delicious as caramel, and a smile so disgustingly sweet that it put puppies to shame.

He looked like the human equivalent of a Cinnabon. And I wanted a bite.

“Oi!” Inuyasha snapped, literally. Like he snapped his fingers in front of my face. He was not pleased with me. Apparently, I had been overtly drooling over my new sugar craving.

“Hmm?” I mumbled, slowly dragging my gaze back over to him, pretending that I had been paying attention the entire time.

He was glaring at me.

“Seriously? You complain for a week straight about how I don’t text you or talk to you enough and now, when I’m actually talking to you, you’re off in la-la land?” Inuyasha growled.

“S-sorry, I was just thinking about something that Sango told me,” I admitted.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and shook his head, but then I watched his gaze flit over to where I had been looking before landing on my Cinnabon. I swallowed hard and pursed my lips. There were several reasons that my king and I were so close, one of the main ones being that he could read me like a book. Normally, I was able to decipher him just as well, but at that moment I hadn’t been able to. His bright eyes became suddenly darker and his playful scowl - yes, he has a _playful_ scowl, I know… it’s weird - became serious.

But when he looked back at me, I felt a heat. It was scorching and caustic, not at all the type of comforting warmth I was accustomed to finding in his eyes.

“What exactly were you and _Sango_ talking about?” Inuyasha hissed, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning in.

Nothing about his expression or posture was joking or teasing like I was used to. There was always a sort of… lightness to the way Inuyasha spoke with me. I knew he could rip a person apart, physically and verbally, but even during our worst fights he never tore me to shreds. Never so much as came close to it.

But at that moment… I couldn’t tell the difference between the Inuyasha that had threatened others when they picked on me and the one that was glowering back at me. The current in his voice, I had heard it before, but only used on _other_ people. Never on his queen. It… it caught me off guard.

“She’s really excited about dating,” I replied.

He opened his mouth to speak, but I would never hear what his retort was. Inuyasha’s response was cut off by our math teacher taking control of the classroom and beginning our instruction for the day.

Instead, I just watched him growl and sit back in his chair, glaring forward, leg bouncing incessantly at his side. He seemed genuinely agitated, but, at the time, I could not fathom why.

The denial ran so deep I had even genuinely thought that maybe he was experiencing some male or adolescent form of P.M.S. I let it slide off my shoulders and didn’t think much of it even though I should have taken it seriously.

I should have heeded Sango’s warning and taken a second look at who was not in _front_ of me… but beside me.

* * * * *

That Friday evening I was running around my house like a chicken with my head cut off. Why? Because it was our anniversary and Inuyasha was coming over. To be fair, he and I hung out _every_ Friday night. We’d been having sleepovers for almost a decade and it was my week to host him. But that Friday was special. It was the anniversary of the date he and I had met on the playground. We did something special every year and exchanged little nothings to commemorate our unbreakable bond.

I had it all planned. Ramen - only the best for my king - and some “scary” movies from like the 70s because he really enjoyed poking fun at the special effects. But, I had run into an issue with the ramen…

If you know anything about Inuyasha it’s that he _loves_ ramen. I cannot overstate that enough. Like… those candy hearts he’s always eating? He would let all the candy hearts in the world and all available supplies to make them burn to the ground in order to protect his precious ramen. As his queen, I knew that. So it was a big deal to me that the ramen be _good_. This is why when my mother came in to talk to me while I was trying to fix my fuck up with said ramen I was a little less than thrilled.

“Kagome?”

“What?” I snapped, not even turning away from the counter. I was too busy taking stock of the ingredients and trying to ascertain the exact moment I ruined his special dinner. I had been prepping this for weeks! Trying out different variations of recipes and had _finally_ settled on a good one… until I had messed it up. _Ugh_. 

“I’d like to have a brief conversation with you before grandpa gets back from picking up Sota and before Inuyasha arrives.”

I should have known right then and there that that little “conversation” was going to be far worse than my ramen issue, but I was too absorbed in my process, measuring and re-measuring the ingredients to try and see which one I had put too much of in the freaking pot and how best to dilute it.

“Okay,” I muttered back, ignorant of the way my mother sat at the kitchen table, crossing her legs and bringing her hands together in the same way that condescending businessmen do when they are about to talk down to you. It was the universal symbol that your doom was imminent, but I had been too wrapped up in making the night perfect for my king to notice.

Are you sensing a theme here? Evidently, I had a pattern of missing looking at the wrong things at the wrong time, missing what was so obviously staring at me. Like my mother and the hesitance, she exhibited recognizing that a shift was taking place whereas I was fixated on some silly soup both purposefully and unintentionally failing to see the writing on the wall.

“So, you and Inuyasha have started high school, and I’m sure that your, uh, your _health_ curriculum will cover things, but Izayoi and I have talked…”

I paused, looking up and away from the food in front of me, wondering why the hell my amazing mother had mentioned our tender ages and “health” classes. That was when it hit me… that that wasn’t a _normal_ conversation… but a “birds and the bees” style conversation. The type of conversation that had my skin crawling and stomach flipping threatening to send the contents of my lunch into the broth I had so carefully put together. I turned around slowly, blinking quickly, already feeling my lungs constrict.

Of all the days to bring _that_ up… they just _had_ to do so on our _anniversary_. Rude. Not to mention entirely unnecessary.

The last time she and Izayoi “talked” it had resulted in us sleeping on couches instead of being able to sleep in the same bed together. This little _chat_ of theirs meant that they were imposing new restrictions on our relationship under the guise that because I was a girl and he was a boy and we spent every second we could together that we needed extra supervision.

They were instituting new rules. On our anniversary. To say that I was livid was an understatement.

“Mom,” I tried, her title coming out more as a plea than anything else.

“If you two hang out in your room, the door needs to remain open at all times-”

“Mom!” What did she think we were going to do?! Le sex. Clearly, but fat chance of that ever happening between us. Did she not understand our relationship?! First Sango and now my own _mother_ was doubting the platonic nature of our friendship? It was downright primitive. And exhausting. Couldn’t a queen just make her king a special dinner to commemorate the day they met nine years prior without people jumping to asinine conclusions?!

“And-”

Oh god, there was more…

“No boys are allowed to be over if grandpa or I are not here-”

Okay, whatever. The only other boy I knew was Miroku, so… not a big loss there. 

“-this rule includes Inuyasha.”

“Wait what?!” I shouted, “what is happening?!”

“Kagome, you are fourteen now, almost fifteen, and things are… _different_.”

I hated the way she emphasized that word as if my king and I were just your average peons who gave into temptation or would sully our majestic bond with sexual deviancy.

“How?! Look, I totally get not having random guys over without an adult, but Inuyasha? Inuyasha?! He’s basically your other son!”

“I understand this may seem unfair-”

“That’s an understatement,” I sneered, staring at her. “Not to mention stupid.”

“Kagome,” my mother continued, her voice as soft and empathetic as humanly possible. “These are not to be accusatory in any way. You and Inuyasha are growing up… growing up doesn’t always mean more freedom. It also means more responsibility.”

“Okay, but this isn’t like ‘hey, Kagome, you’re going to get some extra chores’ or something, these are unfair limitations on my friendship with Inuyasha! It’s not like he and I would ever _do_ anything! You act like we are nothing more than rabbits with a single focus! And that’s not what we _are_!” I understood the basis of the rules. I did. I understood why she wouldn’t want _guys_ coming over. It was for my protection. It was her job to shield me and teach me during a very important time in my mental, physical, and emotional development, but Inuyasha wasn’t just _any_ guy. He was my king. For fuck’s sake I had seen that kid covered in blood, I’d smelled his farts, I’d seen him shove his face into a cake just _because_. I’d even seen him naked before - but I wasn’t going to tell her about _that_. I felt like that probably would have been counterproductive at that _particular_ time.

Just so _you_ know, I had seen him naked once and that had happened _totally_ by accident. Our families liked to take summer vacation together and we had rented a beach house one summer. I thought it was Sota in the bathroom taking too long to shower and just burst in because I needed to _pee_. Like… my bladder was seconds from rupturing and that was the only bathroom in the entire house type of pee. So, I walked in with my eyes shut and announced myself - I’m not a _heathen_ \- but you can imagine my surprise and horror when instead of my brother’s voice yelling at me to “get the _fuck_ out” it was Inuyasha. I opened my eyes as a reflex and… well… that’s that story.

The point was… Inuyasha wasn’t just any kid with raging hormones. I’d already seen him naked and hadn’t had the urge to - as Sango so nicely put it - “jump his bones”. He was… Yash. He was my king and my best friend. The rules felt offensive and unnecessarily limiting.

“He’s still a boy, Kagome.” She stated it gently but so firmly at the same time that I knew there was no questioning it.

I huffed loudly in response, because, really, I wasn’t going to win this argument. I could see that, to my utter disdain. It was more than a little frustrating, which is probably how I burned the ramen, but I no longer cared. Things were changing all around me a lot faster than I expected and I didn’t like it. I just wanted to hang out with Inuyasha without Sango breathing down my neck to enjoy the splendors of dating that I had no interest in and without our mothers insinuating that my king and I had any desire to permanently plunder the walls of the kingdom we’d built by succumbing to hormones.

I loved him and the space we were in, but it had seemed like everything and everyone else around me were trying to drag me in different directions.

Inuyasha arrived for our weekly sleepover forty minutes later, looking about as surly as I felt. He walked in and barely mumbled “bye” to his mother. She gave me a quick wave and my mother a knowing glance, but they both smiled still. They had succeeded in placing another fissure between us and making us feel ostracized for the type of relationship we had. Their job was done and they left us alone to wallow in our shared misery.

“You got a ‘talk’ too?” I asked as he rather aggressively plopped down onto the couch next to me.

“Yup,” he growled, shaking his head and crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

“New door and supervision policy?”

“She told me.”

“Did you throw a fit?”

“Yup.”

“She didn’t budge, did she?”

“Nope, not a goddam inch.” He groaned, his head falling back. I looked over at him then. It was a little reassuring to see him as upset as I was over the new rules. I didn’t _think_ that these would hinder our relationship. After all, I could count on one hand the number of times my mother _and_ grandfather were both absent from the shrine. It was more the principle of it all that sucked. Our mothers were telling us that we couldn’t be trusted. And there’s nothing a teenager hates more than more rules.

I watched him take a deep breath before his nose crinkled and wriggled as he finally took in the scents of the home. “What’s with the god-awful candles?”

“I have a surprise for you,” I stated, giving him a weak smile. “It’s our anniversary,” I muttered sheepishly, fidgeting with my hands as if we didn’t do this every _year_.

“Oh?” He asked, lifting his head up and looking at me with those warm, amber eyes that always made me feel at ease.

“Yup,” I nodded, my smile growing to meet my cheeks. “Didn’t want it to be ruined the moment you stepped out of the car.”

One of his awesome and annoying demonic traits was his superior sense of smell. I had learned many years ago that surprising him was _hard_. He’d always smell it immediately and ruin weeks of planning. Countless birthday efforts had been _decimated_ because of that man and his fucking nose.

It also took a shameful amount of time for me to realize that scents could be covered or masked. Hence the candles. Through some trial and error I had learned that the most potent fake scents were super sugary things like a chocolate cake candle - yes that’s a thing that’s how I hid his Christmas present the year prior, coffee-flavored scents, and cinnamon. All worked wonders in preventing him from being able to detect what was really happening.

Inuyasha had paused, his gaze narrowing and dragging over me, assessing what it could be that I was hiding from him. He leaned in closer toward me and I watched as his nose twitched. He didn’t normally sniff _me_. It was an unfamiliar action that had surprised me, but I instantly forgot it as his eyes lit up like fireworks on the Fourth of July and his previous frown exploded into a broad, toothy grin.

I groaned, “that’s cheating! You can’t smell _me_!”

“You made ramen,” he exclaimed, goofy smile still in place as he practically vibrated next to me in excitement. His whole body was suddenly thrumming in anticipation. I could _feel_ it as I sat next to him. 

See what I mean now? _See_? He didn’t even see the damn food and Inuyasha was already on the verge of busting out of his own body to get at it. He _loved_ ramen.

“Yes, but… before you get too excited-”

“No! Don’t tell me ‘it’s for later’!” He whined, rolling his head and sighing loudly.

“If you would let me finish,” I hissed, “I… may have… burned… it… a little.”

“Oh, but we can have it now?”

One-track mind, I swear. Thank god he was only interested in ramen and not sex because otherwise speaking with him would be _impossible_.

“Yes,” I answered, rolling my eyes. “Just let me-”

He was up and out of his seat in a blink of an eye, leaving me in the dust.

“Or not…” I muttered, slowly getting to my feet, though still thankful his interest was in _food_.

He had bounded quickly into the kitchen where my mother was pulling out the ramen that we had covered to keep warm and also prevent the scent from carrying. Inuyasha, oblivious and overly eager, was standing over her shoulder, switching from side to side as he watched her make us each a bowl.

I rolled my eyes but smiled all the same. It was endearing to see him so genuinely excited. I was still nervous… I had burnt the thing after all the effort and planning. All because our parents were intent on establishing rudimentary boundaries.

As soon as my mother placed the bowl in his hand, Inuyasha dropped himself at the table and began shoveling it in his mouth. I sat down quietly after him, waiting for any reaction other than his mouth unhinging like a snake’s as he tossed noddles and broth down his gullet. It was _almost_ impressive, but also… really gross.

My king…

“Is it… okay?” I finally asked, after waiting a few minutes having expected him to come up for air at some point, but that had been a false hope.

He nodded and didn’t otherwise say anything.

I shrugged it off but started eating mine. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t as good as I had hoped. Oh well, I figured there was always the following year and Inuyasha didn’t seem the least bit bothered.

“Ah,” he exclaimed, only _after_ he finished his entire bowl. “I have something for you,” Inuyasha muttered pulling out a small box from his pocket. He passed it across the table while eyeing the rest of the ramen still in my bowl.

I pushed my unfinished bowl over to him and took the box. It was a little surprising to see because the box looked like… well, it looked nice. It was a rich color and embossed with a silver insignia on it for a fancy jeweler in town. Not at all typical of our normal gifts.

Every year I gave him an extra box of candy hearts and typically did something for him. See, my king wasn’t really interested in… _stuff_. Inuyasha liked food and experiences. Hence the movies, ramen, and candies. And, normally, he got me a ring pop and some little gag gift from an inside joke. Like the year that I had walked in on him and saw him naked? He got me a towel and sunglasses where the lenses were so dark you literally couldn’t see. I still had both of those.

As he devoured my ramen, I had slowly opened the box and gasped lightly. On the side of the box, there _was_ a ring pop, but it was the necklace that I had been really stunned by. It was brilliant, though simple. A single rose-gold maple leaf with hints of red along the veins of the leaf. It was one of the most exquisite things I had ever seen, but… I couldn’t think of anything from our previous year that related to a maple leaf or jewelry.

I was stumped, impressed too, but stumped nevertheless.

I looked up at him, the delicate pendant resting between my index finger and thumb. “Yash,” I murmured, trying to get his attention. When he didn’t look up or away from the damn bowl, I tried again with more force. “Yash!”

“What?” He replied, looking up and just _blinking_ at me.

“This is really beautiful, thank you.”

“Uh, y-your welcome,” he mumbled, quickly looking away, his eyes turning toward the floor.

Another thing to know about my king? Boy is shy as _fuck_. Any type of compliment or acknowledgment will send him scrambling for his sanity. I learned that when we were kids. It’s so bad that one time, when he’d pissed me off, I spent a week complimenting him. That was it. That was my payback. Telling him how much I valued his friendship and enjoyed him as a person. He was _miserable_. I had loved every second of it. He caught on eventually and nowadays just rolled his eyes when I peppered him with praise.

But when you give him a real compliment, one that he _knows_ is real, Inuyasha always does the same thing. His cheeks tinge pink and he looks at the floor because he’s so overwhelmed that he can’t look at _you_. He’s freaking adorable.

I chose that moment to slide him his cinnamon hearts. It would give him something to distract himself with while I put on the necklace.

“Y-you don’t _have_ ta wear it…” he mumbled, claw-tipped fingers fiddling with the corner of the box of candies.

“But I want to,” I replied, tilting my head to the side. “Do you-do you not want me to?”

“Do whatever you want, I can’t stop ya,” he grumbled, tearing open the box, still avoiding my gaze.

I chuckled. He could be so obstinate. I also slid on the ring pop after tearing open the foil, then I extended my arm toward him. “Wanna kiss the ring?”

“I didn’t when I was five and I don’t want to now,” he replied dryly, a hint of a blush still coloring his cheeks, but at least he had looked up at me.

“Your loss,” I teased, standing from the table. “Come on, we have a stack of really, super, scary movies to get through tonight.”

“Right, ‘scary,’” he mocked, grabbing his box of candies and following me to the living room.

“I mean… if you _want_ truly scary we can always go in my room and close the door.” I joked.

Inuyasha frowned and rolled his eyes before popping a couple cinnamon treats into his mouth. “Not exactly the type of fear I’d _like_ to experience.”

“Oh, you mean getting maimed by our parents wouldn’t be a fun experience?” I sneered, taking a seat.

Inuyasha sat right next to me and stared, unfocused as he thought. I grabbed the blanket and tossed it over both of us before grabbing the remote. I also grabbed a pillow. See, _Inuyasha_ loved scary movies. I… did not. I was a child. Through and through. So, when we watched them together I had a pillow at the ready. Any time I was scared or nervous, I would put the pillow in front of my face and Inuyasha would let me know when it was safe to look.

“Really?” He scoffed, looking down at the pillow in my lap. “Aren’t we getting a little old for you to still be hiding behind pillows?”

“Hey,” I snapped, “you’re never too old to protect yourself from monsters.”

“Right… except these are fake…”

“Yeah, well, tell that to my nightmares, buddy.”

Inuyasha snorted and probably rolled his eyes, but I paid no mind to it. I just turned the movie on, licked my blue raspberry ring pop that turned my mouth blue, and clutched my protective pillow. We stayed, just like that, shoulder to shoulder, all night watching movies. Inuyasha laughing at the films while I held my pillow in front of me during the scary parts that he insisted weren’t scary. All in all, a pretty successful anniversary. Minus the new rules obviously… those were still unsavory.

The next morning, we woke to the euphoric sound of bacon sizzling in the kitchen. We had fallen asleep over each other _again_ , but that was to be expected. That’s how every sleepover ended regardless of what new rules were implemented or where we were forced to sleep. My king and I were always going to be us.

We hadn’t needed bedrooms to blur the lines between what it meant to be “friends.”

* * * * *

“Who gave you that?” Sango asked during our cooking class the following Monday, as she very overtly peered at the maple pendant hanging along my chest.

“Um, you’re making me uncomfortable.” Me and my A-cups did not enjoy being scrutinized in that manner, especially in public. Even if it was just Sango.

She rolled her eyes and leaned back, but still her mulberry gaze bore into me. “Kagome, who gave you the fucking maple leaf?”

“Inuyasha,” I responded, frowning. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason,” she answered dryly. “So I take it your sleepover went well?”

“Yup, other than our mothers insisting on more rules,” I bemoaned.

“Truly tragic,” Sango retorted, not the least bit empathetic to the way the ground was shifting beneath my timid feet. “Did you give any time to think about our conversation from last week?”

“What conversation?”

“Oh my god,” she had muttered, shaking her head before looking back at me while the teacher droned on about a recipe we would be trying the following day in class. “ _Dating_ ,” Sango hissed.

“Oh, yes! Actually, I did consider it and think you might be on to something!” I replied excitedly.

“Oh, so you and Inu-”

“There’s this guy in my math class,” I gushed.

“Ah,” Sango murmured, pursing her lips in that way she did when someone was either purposely obtuse or generally clueless. She usually gave Miroku that look, so I was a little irate when it was leveled at me. “Does this guy have a name?”

“Uh…”

That was an easy question that I should have been prepared to answer, and yet I was caught completely off guard because I didn’t know his fucking name. I just kept thinking of him as “Cinnabon.” I was an idiot in more ways than one back then.

“I will find out!” I asserted, “today.”

“Today.”

“In math.”

“In math… isn’t Inuyasha in that class with you?”

“Yeah, why?”

“No reason,” she mumbled, resting her head in her hands and rolling her eyes.

Whatever. If she wanted to be coy or vague I was going to let her. I had other things on my mind, like how the hell I was going to strike up a totally normal and not at all weird conversation with Cinnabon and get him to tell me his real name.

That purpose had haunted me throughout the rest of my class with Sango and even as she walked with me to my math class. As we approached, we greeted Inuyasha and Miroku who had both been waiting out in the hall near the room where my king and I had math.

“Dude, all I’m saying is that she’s hot.” Miroku pressed, violet eyes staring intently at Inuyasha who literally could not have seemed any less interested.

“Who’s hot?” Sango asked, though by her lackluster tone it was clear she also was not seriously invested in who he was actually referring to.

“This girl in our metal shop class. Gorgeous and sexy. A truly rare combination.” Miroku continued as if he was talking about a genuine work of art in a gallery. I, like the others, didn’t pay him any mind. I was busy looking for my Cinnabon. I needed to strike up a conversation with him so that I could learn something more about him other than that he looked like he would give me a sugar high after a single touch.

“What’s with her?” Miroku asked. I knew he was referring to me, but I couldn’t lose focus! I was a woman on a mission. A mission to learn more about Cinnabons.

“She wants to talk to this guy in her math class.” Sango had answered on my behalf, though I didn’t really care for her flat tone and implied eye roll.

“Oh god, is it that kid you were staring at last week?”

I glared up at Inuyasha, not impressed with his scowl or disdainful tone either.

“What if it is?” I challenged.

“His name is Hojo, stupid,” he sneered.

“How do you _know_ him?” I asked incredulously. I was beyond surprised. Inuyasha usually knew people because _I_ knew people. It had _never_ been the other way around.

“I had an elective with him in middle school. He’s about as interesting as a rice cake.”

“Wow, what a glowing review,” Miroku replied sarcastically while I continued to glare at Inuyasha.

It wasn’t so much _what_ he said as _how_ he said it. His tone had been laced with something much heavier than his normal apathy and traditional aversion to other people. It was the same tone that he reserved for the kids that had bullied him when we were younger when he had been too small to defend himself.

But I knew all of those bullies. In fact, I had a literal list of all the people who were jerks to Inuyasha and I regularly enjoyed playing small pranks on them. I also knew him well enough to know which people he just didn’t like. But my Cinnabon? He hadn’t fallen on either of those lists. At least… he hadn’t until that very moment.

The warning bell sounded then Sango and Miroku left for their classes, leaving Inuyasha and I to ourselves, a thick tension building in the air that I didn’t really understand.

“What is your issue with Hojo?” I whispered, still irate but more confused. Was my Cinnabon less like a sweet fluffy treat and more like a cavity? He had hurt or insulted my king? If so, I would happily add him to the hit list and serve up some comedic justice.

“Nothing, he’s just fucking boring. I don’t see what has _you_ suddenly so interested in him.” His voice was still heated but his eyes were what really gave me pause. They didn’t burn and smolder like I was used to. They were hard and dark like they had been when he caught me looking at Hojo the week prior. They were cold and guarded as if I was an enemy instead of his _queen_.

His look sent a chill through my body and made me feel abruptly self-conscious and _guilty_ for reasons that didn’t make any sense at the time. I didn’t like the way he was looking at me and yet I had a nagging feeling that _I_ was in the wrong. I felt a variety of emotions that I couldn’t understand or parse through clearly. Why did my king look so… _hurt_ and _betrayed_? Why did I feel so conflicted about wanting to get to know Hojo? Wasn’t it _normal_ , even expected, for me to do that?

Sango had made it seem like an important rite of passage and I had thought that this was what I was supposed to do… branch out.

But I hadn’t been expecting the shame that pooled in my chest or the pain that I felt from him.

“He’s cute,” I mumbled weakly, wavering entirely too much in my speech as if I doubted my own eyes. “What’s wrong with me wanting to get to know him?” I asked, defensive, searching him for the answers that I was suddenly desperate for or an explanation to the conflict _I_ felt.

He stared at me, lips pressed into a fine line, and jaw clenched but he didn’t say anything else. Inuyasha just rolled his eyes and looked away. His turbulent gaze, glowering at the door to our class before walking away from me and taking his seat.

I shook my head, nervous and still confused. It had been a _long_ time since I had seen Inuyasha upset like that. Worse, I was pretty sure that he’d never upset like that at _me_ before. I didn’t know how to even begin to process it.

I could feel little pangs of agony splintering my young heart. I never wanted him to look at me like that ever again. It just… it wouldn’t do.

He had refused to look at me, even as I took my seat next to him. Though I heard him snicker and toss a biting quip over at me, “oh? Not gonna go sit next to _Hojo_?” He had mocked.

“No,” I hissed in response, eyes facing forward and watching the teacher. “He’s a dumb boy, you’re my best friend, why would I ditch you for him?” Was Cinnabon cute? Yes, I very much enjoyed looking at his face, but my king was far more valuable than even the sweetest looking treat. He _shouldn’t_ have doubted that.

I’d realize later that that was another of my mistakes. I should have reminded him that he had nothing to worry about. I should have told him that I was his, even before I really understood how completely he held my heart. That’s why I had sat next to him and not Hojo, but I hadn’t articulated that at a moment Inuyasha had needed to hear it.

It’s why I was so dumbstruck by his anger. To me it had been simple. The Cinnabon was temporary. He was cute. He looked fun. But he wasn’t a _king_. I would never choose Hojo over Inuyasha. But, it hadn’t occurred to my young, dumb, naive self that Inuyasha might think that that was _exactly_ what I was doing.

Inuyasha exhaled loudly. For the remainder of the class, he gave me the silent treatment. He ignored the texts I snuck him, he pretended not to notice the times I poked him when the teacher was distracted, and he had made it a point to look at anything and everything _other_ than me. Inuyasha may have won the battle that day in class, but I like to think I had won the war. When _Inuyasha_ wasn’t looking I had snuck little handwritten notes into his bag. He’d find them later when we walked to my house and dumped his bag before getting started on homework. As my own personal form of payback, each note listed a different thing I liked about him. When all was said and done, I had stuffed 15 different notes into his bag before the bell rang at the end of math.

The real problem though was that that wasn’t the end of my Cinnabon craving, because at the end of the day… I spoke to Hojo for the first time.

*****

I told you earlier that I had caught feelings for my king… and I did, but not at that juncture. I also told you before about my denial… that was still very much a sickness that ravaged my mind. Especially when Hojo and I began talking regularly.

Hojo had been so open, so eager to speak with me. It had been a totally new and unique experience for me. I swooned almost immediately. I mean, really, who wouldn’t? Hojo showered me with kindness and recognition. He spoke openly and honestly about his feelings and wasn’t the least bit intimidated by Inuyasha or my relationship with him.

The boy was just as naive as I had been, not recognizing the connection between Inuyasha and me. Regardless…

I felt a high speaking with Hojo. Small, but a high nevertheless. Every time he smiled at me, which was _constantly_ \- not a scowl in sight, every time he laughed at my jokes, every time those bright sapphire eyes looked at me without an ounce of skepticism or trepidation, it sent a small jolt of dopamine or serotonin or both, whatever, through my system. I didn’t want to devour Hojo. I didn’t want to make him _mine_. I didn’t crave him, but I enjoyed him in the same way that you might enjoy a sunny day in winter. I wasn’t head over heels, but the sun still felt good on my skin.

So, I didn’t drink him in, but I sipped up his time, and he mine.

Sango called Hojo naive and simpleminded. Even as I gushed about our conversations, she watched me with hesitation biting at every corner of her face. It was strange. For the first time in my friendship with Sango, I could see her holding back. I could see her doubt and something else beneath the surface. It wasn’t sinister, it was almost sad. As if every time I mentioned Hojo it pained her.

It hadn’t stopped me though. The more she made me doubt myself and my budding romance with Hojo the more I leaned in. It was silly really, but I felt like the more she gave me that look, the more that Inuyasha made snide comments about Hojo, the less in control I felt. As a result, I ran toward what I felt like I could control… which was my relationship _with_ Hojo.

The weeks went by and Hojo and I kept talking. Sango kept speaking about him with caution and Inuyasha…

I didn’t know.

As I got closer with Hojo it felt like those fissures between my king and I became infinitely larger. The first time Hojo had waved at me in the halls Inuyasha had thrown a fit - like a full-on _tantrum_ \- over my continued interest in him. His words had been vicious and cut through me like a blade of blood, leaving me tattered but not yet scarred or dead.

The first time Hojo had come up to me in the halls and walked me to my next class had been worse. I hadn’t thought that that was possible. After Hojo had left for his class across the building Inuyasha and I argued so bitterly a teacher had felt the need to get involved. I had told Inuyasha not to come over for homework and cried on the way home after school that day.

We were mostly through the fall semester when Sango approached me. It was after school. I was biting my lip, arms crossed across my chest, fighting back _another_ round of tears after Inuyasha and I had gotten into another stinging battle of words. His callous remarks still swimming around in my mind.

“Hey,” she had murmured, coming up to stand next to me.

I looked up at her but wasn’t able to speak. If I had even so much as opened my mouth I knew that I would have let out a frail sob instead of actual words.

“I told Inuyasha to go home without you,” she began, watching me closely and waiting for my protest. “I’m going to walk you home today.”

“Sango-”

“I’m not taking no for an answer, Kagome. I’m your friend and you’re going to let me be here for you.”

I swallowed loudly but didn’t fight her further. I merely pushed myself off the brick wall and led the way back to my place. I didn’t see her, but as I kept my eyes down, following the same path home I did every day, Sango nodded over to Miroku and Inuyasha who had been watching the whole exchange across the schoolyard.

I forced in a shuddering breath as we walked. Sango gave me time to compose myself, but I could feel her inquisitive gaze looking me over and picking her words.

“Just say it,” I bit out, glaring at the ground. She wasn’t the true source of my pain or malice. Even if my tone was clipped, she didn’t deserve my glare or the full force of my ire. She was trying to help. So, I stared at the ground, clenched fists at my side waiting for her to speak her truth.

“You and Inuyasha have been fighting. A lot.” Sango stated, as if that wasn’t already very clear to everyone in the universe.

“What of it?” I snapped, wincing at the vitriol in my own voice before she responded.

“You’re in pain.”

Again, another obvious statement that did nothing to really address the situation.

“Okay, and?” I had pressed, missing the point of her comments.

“Tell me why,” Sango asked.

“Because he doesn’t like Hojo and he’s being a jerk about it!” I practically screeched. “I’m just hanging out with him! God, it’s not like-like I’m dating him or anything!”

“But isn’t that the goal?”

Was it? I had no real idea. I was chasing the little highs of hanging around Hojo. They felt so good among the turmoil that colored the rest of my life, including, most recently, my relationship with Inuyasha.

“What of it?!” I repeated, that time leveling my heated gaze at her. “You’re the one that told me to date!”

There was that face again. That look… that… apprehension. She was holding back.

“What?!” I screeched, pausing in the middle of the street and looking at her, tears falling. “Why do you keep making that face at me? What _aren’t_ you telling me?”

“Kagome, do you really want to date _Hojo_?”

“Who else would I want?” I had asked, genuinely confused by the question.

It was Sango who swallowed hard then, her head shaking to the side slowly. “I don’t know… maybe-maybe Inuyasha?”

That thought had never overtly or organically occurred to me before. And, at that point in time, standing on the sidewalk, the cold air biting at the wet streaks on my cheeks, I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around it. I loved him, I always had. I knew that even then. But… he was my _king_. He wasn’t some silly crush or innocuous flirtation.

He was so much more.

I wouldn’t sully that. I couldn’t… Not _him_.

I didn’t know how to explain that. Our peers had never understood our relationship, and, to a small extent, I realized, that I didn’t either. The threads that held Inuyasha and I together were so numerous, so thick and distinct in their many paths. How could I possibly begin to clarify that Inuyasha wasn’t “crush” material. He was all-consuming and devastating. And I had been too young, too ignorant of my own feelings, to understand what that really meant.

My brows knit together as I finally answered, each word coming out slow and heavy, “no. I would never _just_ date him, Sango. I _love_ Inuyasha.”

I watched her chew on her cheek, eyes widening as if _that_ was the point but I hadn’t understood. I simply turned and kept walking, my ignorance plain as day and showing a little too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More coming soooooon. :) Hope you're enjoying!
> 
> Let me know what you think and follow me on tumblr for snippets and other previews of things to come!! 
> 
> Otherwise, THANK YOU FOR READING I LOVE YOU. <3 
> 
> xoxo 
> 
> Fandom Obsessions


	3. Fireball.

I was at lunch with Inuyasha and Miroku when it happened. We were a month or so into our second semester of freshman year. Inuyasha was in a good mood, a rarity during those days. Sango  _ ran _ to our table, sliding across the bench of the cafeteria table right into me, eyes big and smile wider. 

“Guess what!” She exclaimed, looking between the three of us but mostly at me. 

“Um, it’s Thursday?” I replied blandly. I knew that likely wasn’t what she was going for, but I was also really tired and didn’t want to play games. 

Why was I tired you may be wondering? I had spent a good chunk of the evening prior texting with Hojo. Messages with Inuyasha were sprinkled in there too, of  _ course _ , but my Cinnabon and I had talked until the wee hours of the morning. It was exhilarating and downright exhausting. 

“No,” she playfully swatted at me then looked over at the boys, wiggling her eyebrows. “Better than that.” 

Miroku and Inuyasha exchanged quick glances before Miroku spoke, “what?”

“I got us all invited to a  _ party _ ,” Sango squealed in excitement. “Hosted by an  _ upper _ classman! Isn’t that so exciting?!”

“Yes!” Exclaimed Miroku, violet eyes suddenly exploding with glee and anticipation. “Ugh! Sango! I could kiss you!”

“Please don’t. Save your lips for  _ tomorrow _ night!” 

“Oh, um…” I began, looking over at Inuyasha as he looked back at me. Sango and Miroku  _ knew _ that Friday nights were off-limits. No matter how acrimonious our relationship had gotten since I began talking to Hojo, Friday nights were still sacred between Inuyasha and me. “Thanks for the invite, but-”

“No!” Sango interrupted, pointing a finger aggressively at me then Inuyasha. “Look, you guys can do your weird little sleepover  _ after _ the party! You  _ have _ to come!”

“Why do we ‘have’ to come?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at Sango. 

“No reason,” she mumbled, noticeably avoiding my gaze. 

“Sango, what aren’t you telling us?” I pressed, glaring at her. 

“The upperclassmen may or… may not be Koga.” She muttered, finding a speck on the table suddenly  _ fascinating _ . 

If Inuyasha could have rolled his eyes out of his skull he would have. He  _ hated _ Koga. They’d been rivals since elementary school. 

It had been a dark day on the playground when we first encountered the wolf demon. The clouds were threatening a rainstorm when my king and I were surveying our kingdom. At that exact moment, a gallant knight rode in with ocean blue eyes and rich hair that made me think of dark chocolate. This knight came right up to me, kissed my lollipop ring, and promised me the moon. Literally, he said he would bring me a piece of the moon. I had been positively enthralled at the idea. My king, on the other hand, had not been a fan of Koga on that day or any day since. They had had a multitude of quarrels over the years, each one sillier and less important than the last. 

“Pass, hard pass,” Inuyasha muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“You aren’t seriously  _ still _ upset over Koga kissing Kagome when you were in like… third grade are you?” Miroku accused. 

“No, I don’t give two shits about  _ that _ . Koga is an idiot.” Inuyasha sneered. 

“Ah, but at least he’s not boring,” Miroku jested, thinking himself funny and earning glares from both Inuyasha and me. 

“Kagome,  _ please _ ?” Sango begged. “Just come, get Miroku and me in, then you and Inuyasha can sneak out like you do every other time anyway!”

“Okay, we do not  _ sneak _ out!” I defended, “we  _ always _ tell you when we’re leaving!”

“Sure, sure, sure,” she dismissed flippantly. “Just, put on something cute and show up. It won’t kill either of you.  _ Plus _ , I happen to know that Hojo is on the invite list.” Sango wiggled her finger as if that was some undeniable proposition I wouldn’t be able to resist. 

I sighed loudly. Ever since admitting that I might have a tiny crush on Hojo, Sango took  _ pleasure _ in dangling him in front of me like a piece of bacon, when she wasn’t questioning my intentions that was. Any time she wanted leverage for an event all she felt she needed to do was mention that Hojo  _ might _ show up. It had worked a lot more in the beginning, but I had been catching on to her manipulative tactic more recently. “If I want to hang out with Hojo, I can just  _ hang out with _ Hojo. I don’t need to go to a party to see him,” I replied. 

A heavy silence fell between us all. I looked up and around startled by the abruptness of it. “What?” I asked, looking around at the three of them, Inuyasha blatantly avoiding my gaze while the other two had on strange looks of surprise and pity. 

“What haven’t  _ you _ been telling me?” Sango asked, leaning in toward me. “I didn’t realize you and Hojo were so… close.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t call us  _ close _ ,” I mumbled in response. It was honest. I wouldn’t have said I was really close with anyone other than the three I was sitting with. Even then, if you  _ pressed _ me, I would have said I was close with Inuyasha. He was my  _ best _ friend, and Sango and Miroku were my good friends. That’s how that ranking went. Hojo didn’t come anywhere near any of them on my spectrum of friends or closeness.

I hadn’t meant it as anything serious. It was just a fact. If I wanted to hang out with Hojo, couldn’t I just text him that? He was nice enough that he would almost certainly say yes.

But that also got me wondering… he and I had spent all night texting and several weeks talking. While a lot of it was mundane garbage like getting to know what things he liked versus didn’t like, there was  _ some _ flirting involved. He was cute and nice and I enjoyed spending time with him. So… why  _ hadn’t _ we hung out?

Inuyasha. 

We hadn’t hung out because it bothered Inuyasha and despite all the bickering, I hadn’t wanted to put him out. My king was always on my mind, even when talking to Hojo. I hated that Inuyasha wasn’t a fan of Hojo. It had pained me every day and, consciously or not, I kept a distance between Hojo and me because I meant it when I said that Inuyasha was more important to me. I had hoped that Inuyasha would warm up to him, but that was looking less and less likely with each passing day. 

“Why haven’t you hung out with him?” Sango pressed, right after I’d come to that exact realization myself. 

“Uh,” I murmured, looking up and over at Inuyasha. It was a reflex. He wasn’t just my king, he was my solace. When I was confused or felt at a loss, I always turned to him. He looked back at me, a single black brow slightly raised as if silently questioning  _ why _ I was looking at him at that exact moment. 

Sango, oh so perceptive, oh so annoying Sango followed my gaze, landing directly on Inuyasha then bringing that inquisitive mulberry stare back toward me. “Someone else you’d rather hang out with?”

“Yeah,” I answered honestly. I would always pick Inuyasha over Hojo. No matter what. Crush or not, bros before Hojos. Get it? Inuyasha is the “bro” in that circumstance… Anyway… 

Sango seemed surprised and to  _ my _ surprise, so did Inuyasha as I looked between them. “Well then… I wasn’t expecting that response,” she mumbled. 

“Why?” I answered. “Look, Hojo’s cute and nice and all, but…”

“But?” Sango pressed. 

I shrugged noncommittally, “I don’t know…”

“Kagome, you have bags under your eyes from talking to him  _ all _ night…”

“So?”

“So?!” Sango exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “Either you’re interested or you're not. Are you  _ interested _ ?”

“I mean he’s cute…”

“For fuck’s sake,” Sango grumbled, rubbing her temples and shaking her head. “Inuyasha… what do I need to bribe you with so that you and Kagome show up at the party? Please… I’m  _ begging _ …”

“Uh,” he replied, face a little flushed for some  _ weird _ reason and stammering like he was a kid again. “I-I don’t… know.”

“You two are impossible, I swear,” Miroku interjected. “Inuyasha, Sango, and I will both personally take you out to the new noodle place that’s opening up on the nice side of town and let you get  _ anything _ you want… just please go to the fucking party for five minutes…”

“Yeah, fine,” he groaned. 

“Awesome! That leaves you…” Sango commented looking back at me. “ _ Now _ will you come? Or is there someone  _ else _ you’d rather spend time with?”

“I’ll come,” I murmured, taking an aggressive bite of my sandwich. 

“Oh thank god!” Sango and Miroku exclaimed in unison. 

“Why do  _ you _ want to go so badly?” Inuyasha inquired, looking at Sango with a suspicious gaze. 

“Because Kuranosuke is going to be there and even if Kagome has no interest in sucking Hojo’s face, I would very much like to taste Kuranosuke all night long.” 

“Cheers to sucking face!” Miroku exclaimed loudly, lifting up his __ water and waiting for any of us to join. We didn’t. He eventually shrugged and just drank the water, still smirking like he’d won the lottery despite having been left hanging by his friends. 

* * * * *

“So… what top do you think I should go with?” I asked, holding two up in front of Inuyasha, who was lounging on my bed, face in his phone, barely paying attention. 

“The left,” he muttered without looking. 

I frowned in his direction, but what use was a frown if he couldn’t see it? It did absolutely nothing. “Oh, so you think Koga would be okay seeing me in…” I turned over to see what was in my hand. It was a sheer blouse. “Well… nothing but my bra.”

He snorted. 

“What is that for?!” I asked, tossing the shirt in his direction. 

“If Koga is interested in you, it’s not for your boobs.”

Hurtful… but true. Me and my A-cups were not really selling out tickets to any shows. My mom swore up and down that some in our family were just late bloomers. I supposed that I fell into the category. 

He still hadn’t needed to point that out and remind me that as uncomfortable as puberty was I still hadn’t really… grown into myself yet. 

“ _ If Koga is interested in you, it’s not for your boobs _ ,” I mocked, “you could at least pretend to care.”

“Ugh,” he bemoaned, letting his cell phone fall to the side before turning to look at me. “Just wear that weird romper thing you like so much and let’s call it a day.” 

“Something tells me you’re not excited about this,” I teased. 

“I just want the damn ramen.” 

“Maybe I can sweeten the deal?” I teased. 

His ears perked up, it was minuscule, but they were definitely more alert. “How?”

“Actually  _ help _ me pick out an outfit and I will show you.” 

He pursed his lips and frowned. “Well, it’s cold out so you should probably wear something that won’t give you hypothermia.” 

“Oh!” I exclaimed, tossing the clothing that was in my hand at him. He had given me an idea. It would be warm, modest, and cute. “Go back to staring at your phone I need to change my pants.”

He groaned, but leaned back on my bed and picked up his phone as I shimmied out of my pants and began sliding on some black stockings. I followed that with an emerald green turtleneck and finished off the look with high-waisted shorts and ankle boots. “Tada!” I exclaimed, twirling in my outfit in front of him. 

Gold eyes flitted over to me, barely looking at me for more than a second before Inuyasha sighed heavily, “Awesome. So, you ready now?”

“Yash! Do you like it?” I pressed, leaning on the bed next to him, my raven hair falling around me as I wiggled my eyebrows playfully. 

He rolled his eyes but nodded. I could have sworn that my bashful king was blushing in the slightest as I leaned away. I decided not to prob him further on that note just then. After all… we were expected. Can’t keep the public - or a certain devilishly handsome knight - waiting. 

“Yes!” I cheered, standing up and walking over to my mirror. I put on a quick layer of mascara to make my eyes stand out a smidge more, then reached over, grabbing Inuyasha’s hand before pulling him down the stairs. We were ready for the party and I was excited. 

“Hey! You could just use your words!” Inuyasha snipped as I yanked on his arm. 

“Move your feet!” I laughed, swiftly grabbing a box of candies from the table and tossing them at him. Cinnamon hearts for the man who held my heart but was moving with the expediency of a slug. “That’s your sweet reward for helping me!”

“Oh, gee, thanks,” he mumbled, finally matching my pace. 

Sango and Miroku met us outside of Koga’s place. I chewed on my lip as I approached, eyes drawn to the large estate. Koga had a huge family, most of which was local. He’d once told me about how family gatherings would take up the whole block but how despite all the people it always felt intimate. Staring up at his familial home, seeing all those rooms for the first time in person, I suddenly had a better understanding of why people loved his parties; plenty of space and plenty of  _ spaces _ . 

“My, my, my,” Miroku purred, walking right up to me. “You look lovely Kagome.”

“Thanks,” I responded, only blushing  _ a little _ . “I wanted to look okay for our first party with upperclassmen.”

“Well, if you wanted to impress Koga you should have worn that sheer shirt,” Sango commented, though her gaze was on Inuyasha as she spoke to me. “Shall we go in?”

“Yeah, let’s get this over with,” Inuyasha muttered, rolling his eyes and starting up the decorative stairs to the front. 

Miroku immediately shoved me toward the front of the group, holding me tightly in case I would trip or you know…. try to run. God forbid I ruin his first opportunity to swap spit with some random girl who wouldn’t know his name or care to remember it. 

Sango knocked enthusiastically then we waited. I heard the knob turn and just by my king’s cadence alone I could tell who was on the other side of the door. 

“Welcome!” His rich voice surrounded me like a siren’s song, begging me to walk overboard to my death in the cold, ruthless ocean of his eyes. “Kagome you look… absolutely ravishing.”

Quite a word to use for my otherwise conservative attire. “Thanks,” I had mumbled, biting my lip and resisting the urge to look over at my king. 

“Sango, Miroku,” He continued to greet, saving Inuyasha for the end. “Mutt, good to see you too, I suppose.” 

Inuyasha smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes. It was more akin to the type of smile you might expect from the Joker. Not at all the goofy grin or tranquil bliss I usually enjoyed splashed across his face. “Koga,” he greeted firmly. My king had never really been one for idle pleasantries. 

“Come in, come in!” Koga ushered, making space for us to enter. 

Three things I noticed immediately: the space was certainly  _ large _ , the music was  _ loud _ , and Koga’s arm around my shoulders felt  _ heavy _ . I could barely hear Inuyasha growl at Koga’s advances and he had been literally inches from me. Sango and Miroku almost immediately waved bye then threw themselves into the sea of people moving through the space. 

I’d been to several parties before, but this had been an entirely different situation. There were so many people I knew but many more I didn’t. I could smell the alcohol in the air though I couldn’t see it and two of my safeties just abandoned me for the chance to fulfill their hormonal desires. 

“Let me get you two a drink,” Koga smiled, maintaining his gaze with mine a moment longer than he did with Inuyasha. 

As we moved through the crowd with Koga’s arm still around my shoulder, I subconsciously reached back, pads of my fingers brushing along Inuyasha’s forearm. He curled his fingers around mine and I relaxed before I even realized that I was nervous. But I  _ was _ nervous. Koga was… in a word… forward. I was… well let’s be frank about this, I guess, despite almost being fifteen I felt more like a pre-pubescent boy than a budding woman with my bean-shaped body and lack of natural padding. There were heavy, implied expectations that hung in the far-too-thin air that separated Koga and I. He was sixteen, going on seventeen. He’d had multiple girlfriends and was a known  _ frequent _ _ flyer _ , if you catch my drift. I had been kissed once by my king on a dare. 

So… 

The gap between our lived experiences was…  _ wide _ . Far wider than my hips and my confidence. 

Koga was attractive with a capital A, which was very clear to anyone with eyes, but I was scared that he would devour me whole and spit me out leaving a shell of a person with enough regret to sink an aircraft carrier. 

I knew that Inuyasha wouldn’t let me go. Even if I could hear the cogs in Koga’s mind working overtime to compensate for the liquor as he pondered a way to separate me from Inuyasha, still I knew that my king’s loyalty far surpassed Koga’s tricks. 

Koga was a wolf. He was a predator. Separating prey from the group was a specialty he’d honed over the years. 

Inuyasha was a predator too though. I just hadn’t realized at that party how precise or how lethal he really was. I would come to learn that eventually too, in time. 

Koga pulled his arm off of me and fixed us both a drink. Inuyasha watched him, the look of disdain overshadowed by a look of disgust. “What’s wrong pup?” Koga teased, looking over briefly at him. “Not used to the smell of liquor?”

No. The answer was no. We’d never been to a party with alcohol before. It was… just another experience (or lack thereof really) that sowed division between Koga and I, and reminded me that I wasn’t in kindergarten anymore when the worst thing that would happen was that I drank too much milk while laughing and it would come out my nose. 

If that shit that Koga was pouring came out my nose it would  _ burn _ . 

“Here,” Koga offered, pushing a couple shots our way. “I figured you might enjoy this,” he jested, looking at Inuyasha specifically, “seeing as you’re always eating those fucking candies.”

“What… is this?” I asked, surveying the brown liquid that smelled like cinnamon. 

“Fireball,” Koga smirked, “cinnamon flavored whiskey. Good for beginners, mostly because it doesn’t taste like ass.” 

“Okay,” I mumbled in a hushed tone. I nodded my head quickly, then tipped it back like I’d seen people do in the movies. It burned as it went down, but I wasn’t sure whether that was the cinnamon or the liquor. I felt an instant hit of heat and shook my head for a second before placing the shot glass down. Koga filled it again and stared at me intently. “A-again?” I questioned, uneasy. The previous shot was already forming a pit in my stomach. 

“Yup,” he answered, pouring Inuyasha another as well. 

I gulped but took the shot. It was the same, a strong hit of cinnamon and a flash of heat that felt like a quick kiss from the sun. 

“And, two more for the pup,” Koga stated, pouring Inuyasha another and giving my glass to him before gesturing for Inuyasha to drink it.”

“Wh-why?” I asked confused. 

“Because he’s part demon and this shit will barely touch him unless he takes a bunch,” Koga explained. “Trust me, four shots of this will barely give him a buzz. You on the other hand… you’re tiny. You’ll feel this in like twenty minutes.”

“Oh,” I had responded, frowning and not certain how to take that. 

“So, while we wait for the real fun to begin, let me give you a tour!” Koga exclaimed, grabbing my hand and dragging me out of the kitchen. I looked back, frantic at Inuyasha, who merely rolled his eyes, but followed right behind. 

I’d have to do something special for him later. 

Koga had been right about the shots. As he took us around, I barely focused on what he was saying. Instead, I found myself fixated on the gentle warmth that coated my skin like the coziest of blankets and the lightness I felt in my head. I didn’t feel dizzy, I just didn’t hear all my thoughts. It was like all my anxieties, all my insecurities, they had taken a break from tormenting me. My head was silent and my lips turned up into a carefree smile. Sure, my lids felt a little heavier and I was giggling far more than I was used to, but I liked that shit! 

Our host seemed to notice that his elixirs had started to work because we were no longer being dragged through his parent’s place, but he’d switched to telling me  _ fascinating _ stories about himself and his family. I leaned in and listened intently as if he knew the meaning of life and was mere moments from imparting that truth on to me. 

I watched his lips move, my eyes darting back and forth quickly from those icy eyes and his mouth. I swear they looked about as plump and soft as steamed dumplings and I wanted a little nibble, but only a nibble. His eyes though had me resisting that urge. They were dazzling, don’t get me wrong, but I wanted  _ heat _ . The ocean, vast in its beauty and dizzying in its depths never set my soul ablaze. 

In my periphery, I saw my king pull out the candies that I had given him earlier. I watched him through the corner of my eye, letting Koga continue to regale me with his tale, all the while examining Inuyasha as he dropped little pieces of candy into his mouth. 

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, sucking on a small section of my lip. I had asked Inuyasha how I looked earlier in the evening, but I’d never told him how he looked. Maybe it was the alcohol fusing with my blood or maybe it was a wave of hormonal appreciation for the man I had grown up beside, but he looked  _ good _ . He still had noodle arms and whatnot, but he was lean and fierce. 

I’d have let him prey on me any day.

Hojo was the epitome of cotton candy, Koga like a fine wine, but Inuyasha? I imagined he was a lot more like the shots of fireball that I had been coerced into trying. Especially seeing as he ate those silly hearts all the time. For the briefest of moments, with Koga still talking to me, I had let my mind wander and imagine what  _ Inuyasha _ might taste like. I imagined that he would be warm and rich in flavor, like his soul, but hot and defiant, burning you in the best way possible. I imagined that his flavor would haunt you for days. He’d be -

His eyes had caught me staring. My delicious king and his striking gaze locked with mine, a single brow inching incrementally upward as he looked at me with true bewilderment before he looked down, finding my lip stuck between my teeth. 

Inuyasha was a predator that I didn’t fear… it was something far more carnal that even the shots weren’t strong enough to have me admit to myself.

I expected him to do something - like sneer at me, which is what he usually did - when I didn’t look away, when I, instead, remained fixed on his distinct features. But, Inuyasha merely looked away and placed a handful of those silly hearts in his mouth. I could hear him crunch down on them as I brought my gaze back to Koga. I sighed,  _ then _ looked away. 

Koga continued to tell me story after story, but I found the whole experience… wanting. Minutes prior I had been enthralled by his stories and presence. However, that moment had passed. I looked around for Sango and Miroku, Inuyasha’s crunching in my ear the whole time. 

To my delight and disappointment, Sango had accomplished her goal. Miroku too for that matter. Sango was lapping up the attention of Kuranosuke and Miroku was hidden in a corner, hands full of hair and mouth full of a certain red-headed wolf-demon. 

“Jealous?” Koga teased, noticing that I had looked over at Miroku and Ayame as she wrapped a leg around his waist. 

“Hmm?” 

“You know,” he whispered, leaning down, his hot breath tickling my ear, “there are  _ plenty _ of rooms upstairs…”

I could  _ feel _ Inuyasha’s growl from behind me, a protest he was ready to hurl at me with every ounce of displeasure that his frame could contain. Ah, my king, sometimes he needed a reminder that his queen was  _ his _ .

“Actually,” I purred, turning to face Koga and batting my long lashes, “that sounds…  _ amazing _ . Why don’t you go grab one?” 

“We could go tog-” He began, excitement bleeding through every feature. 

“I’d like to talk to Inuyasha,” I continued, seductively biting my lip and letting him watch before I gave him a playful shove. “What are you waiting for?”

Inuyasha waited for the wolf to be up the stairs and out of the way before hissing at me. “What the  _ fuck _ was that?!”

I rolled my eyes, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the main room.

“Kags!” He growled, pulling at my hand, but not using enough force to free himself. 

“What?” I had asked, turning to face him. 

“I’m not staying just so you can go stick your tongue down-”

“When did I say I was going to kiss him?” I asked, squaring up to him. 

“Wha-”

“When, Yash, did I tell him I would kiss him?”

“You heavily implied-”

“That  _ he _ should get a room. He can knock himself out.” I replied, tugging lightly on his arm and trying to bring him with me. 

“Yeah, but, he’s going to come back and look for you…”

“By then we’ll be gone. Or… did you want to stay longer?” I inquired. 

“No…”

“Okay, so then let’s go!” I exclaimed. “Sango and Miroku look plenty busy and I’d much rather spend the rest of the night with you than fending off Koga.” I was bored with the man and had entertained him long enough. I felt like I had already paid my dues to the knight. As such, it was now my duty to return home with my king and resume our normal responsibilities, like watching bad T.V. until the infomercials started and our eyes ached from forcing ourselves to stay awake. 

He nodded dumbly but followed me out, fingers laced gently with mine. 

The cold evening air was undesirable as we escaped from the knight’s humble abode into the dark night. I shivered instantly, the warmth from the alcohol dissipating with a jarring speed. Before we had even stepped off the grounds of the property, I felt a tender weight fall across my shoulders. I looked down to see what it was and grinned. Inuyasha had draped his hoodie over me. I gazed over at him, intending to thank him but laughed instead. 

He was already refusing to look at me. It was so cute, so downright adorable, and even a sprinkle of unexpected, that I couldn’t have stopped that obnoxious giggle if I had tried. 

“What are you laughing at?” He snipped, glaring at the ground instead of me. 

“Why is it that any time you do anything nice for someone you become so ill-tempered? Or bashful?”

“I’m not  _ bashful _ ,” he muttered, the final word dripping with disdain. 

“Right, and I’m not currently wearing your hoodie,” I replied snidely. 

He didn’t have an answer for that. No, he just stared straight ahead, gaze fixed on the path in front of us. 

** * * * * * **

A few weeks later, all four of us met at the new noodle shop. Inuyasha was cashing in his favor that Sango and Miroku owed him. He looked positively enamored as we walked in, a vast array of different styles and flavors of ramen on display. His bright amber eyes widened in total adoration, scanning and re-scanning his options while our two friends looked paler by the second. 

I watched, standing next to Inuyasha and giggling. I had the urge to ask them if promising Inuyasha all he could eat ramen was worth it. Judging by how pale their faces looked I would have bet good money that they were both re-thinking their earlier bribe and regretting offering him such extravagant compensation for his time. 

Inuyasha was ravenous. If he liked something, he  _ liked _ something. He was passionate about few things, but those few things he consumed like it was his last day on Earth. I knew this well. It’s why I never bribed him with an endless supply of anything. We would barter on quantities of what he enjoyed, but it was always definite. Miroku and Sango were about to learn exactly why I spent so much time negotiating with him over the years. 

“I’m going to grab a table,” I murmured, patting Inuyasha on the shoulder. 

“You’re not going to get anything?” He asked, gaze still locked on the board though his hand moved to brush against mine. It was a gentle touch, but it had become commonplace between us over the years to occasionally reach out like that, a tender and exclusive nonverbal commitment to express any number of things. At that moment I read it as his way of making sure that I didn’t go hungry just because he was the main focus that day. 

“Just order me one of something you’re getting,” I replied, letting my fingers drag over his shoulder as I spoke. “I’ll pay you whatever I owe,” I directed at Sango and Miroku. 

“Not like it’s going to matter,” Sango muttered, “this is going to bankrupt us.” 

I smiled back, a knowing and playful smirk as I waved before grabbing a space larger than would typically be necessary for four people. I knew my king and I knew there was no way he was leaving without ordering several different options. 

Fifteen minutes later, we were all seated in a booth for six people. Inuyasha was as happy as I’d ever seen him, looking over his shoulder every ten seconds to see if and when his entrees would be ready. Miroku was leaning against the window, pouting, his head in his hand, looking forlornly at his empty wallet. Inuyasha had ordered about five different variations of ramen. Sango sat next to Miroku, shaking her head in astonishment and slight irritation. 

“If you don’t finish all five of those massive shits, I want my money back,” Sango muttered, glaring over at Inuyasha. 

“Deal,” Inuyasha replied, unflinchingly. They, clearly, had never seen him at a buffet. 

I giggled at the memory of the last time our parents had gone out together to eat. Izayoi loved taking him to buffets. His appetite had practically tripled between middle school and high school so much so that Izayoi regularly apologized and tried to pay my mother back for the money she spent to feed him when he was over, which was constantly. Buffets had since become the unspoken choice for anytime our families got together to eat. It was cheap and it seemed to be the only thing that satiated his hunger. 

He nudged me playfully for laughing but kept looking for his food. 

“So…” Sango stated, looking over at Miroku then back at me. “Miroku has something he’d like to mention.”

I knit my brows together, “what’s going on?”

“Ugh, are you dating that chick?” Inuyasha scoffed, rolling his eyes briefly. 

“Which one?” Miroku asked, “I have a few I’m talking to-”

“That one from metal shop you keep going on about,” he snickered. 

“No,” he replied dryly. “Call me crazy but I think she has a certain fondness for dumbasses.” 

“Thrilling, really,” Sango stated, “but can you just tell them the thing  _ we _ talked about so we don’t have to fight with them about the stupid Friday night issue.” 

“Fine. My parents are going out of town in a few weeks.” Miroku stated, a wide smile spreading across his features and a wicked gleam in his eyes. 

“Okay, and?” I pressed. 

“I’m throwing a party… if I host it on Saturday night, can I count on you both to be there?” He asked. His violet gaze was firm and intense and staring at me. Only me. 

I turned for a moment, looking to Inuyasha who was still searching for his ramen. He was sitting on his hands as if he was too excited to actually contain his movements. I looked back at Miroku, noticing that he was still looking straight at me. It was unmistakable. Then I looked over at Sango and noticed that she too was only looking at me. “Why are you both looking at  _ me _ ?” 

“He asked  _ you _ a question,” Sango responded, “we’re waiting for your answer.” 

“But the question was for both of us…” I mumbled, trailing off. They both continued to stare  _ only _ at me, but harder. “Yeah, Saturday night is fine,” I responded, crossing my arms over my chest and huffing. I was Inuyasha’s queen, not his fucking keeper and it annoyed me that they were insinuating as such. 

“Should I invite Hojo?” Miroku asked, pushing forward. “And or should I expect him?”

Inuyasha didn’t really speak so much as grunt and stick out his tongue in disgust at the idea. I just stared and blinked at his action. He was fifteen, sure not exactly a man, but certainly far too mature to respond in that manner, right? 

I sighed, “I don’t care.” I had no interest in fighting with Inuyasha on this. Not when we were literally out at a restaurant for his favorite food. As nice as it may have been to have Hojo around at the party, I had no intention of ruining my king’s day. He and I had actually been  _ okay _ , ish, since Koga’s party. He still didn’t like Hojo, but he’d been nicer to me and hadn’t even asked for his hoodie back. If I really wanted my Cinnabon there, I could easily ask Miroku about it later. Although, at that time, I wasn’t really sure if I cared enough to request his presence. 

I had my king, did I really need a Cinnabon? 

“Okay,” Miroku responded easily, looking at Sango and nodding. “Just a heads up… I also  _ have _ to invite Koga though… it’s only fair…” 

“And he’s supposed to supply the alcohol,” Sango explained, glaring at Miroku for leaving that part out, evidently the only part that really mattered. 

“That too,” he smiled. 

I cringed. I had seen Koga in school a few times since his party. Each time he had hit on me and apologized for “missing” me that night at his party as if I hadn’t literally walked out on him. I had to give him credit though, he wasn’t a knight for nothing. He handled the rejection well. And by well I mean that he ignored it entirely, but was relatively gallant about the whole thing regardless. 

“Great,” I replied flatly. 

Inuyasha snickered, “you’ll be okay Kags.” 

“Not interested in riding Koga until he howls at the moon?” Sango teased earning her a heavy glare from Inuyasha. 

“Not particularly,” I responded turning to notice four servers walking our way with our eight bowls, or, to be exact, Sango, Miroku and I’s single bowl and Inuyasha’s five. Whatever ire he had had over the idea of Koga and I together was quickly forgotten as his various soups were laid in front of him. 

I swear you could hear him salivating as they were arranged on the table. Miroku shook his head and pulled out his phone. 

“What are you doing?” Sango questioned. 

“Videotaping this. Something tells me I’m about to see something  _ weird _ .”

Sango rolled her eyes and I scooted a few inches away from Inuyasha, giving my king space to freely devour his spoils and to make sure I wasn’t splashed with any of the remnants of his carnage. Sango’s mouth hung open as Inuyasha made quick work of all five bowls and even ate my leftovers at the end. To top it all off, after finishing, Inuyasha stared at Sango and lifted both his brows, a confident and cocky smile in place that made me giggle as he openly bragged about his ability to shovel ungodly amounts of food into his lean frame. “What was that about not finishing all of them?”

“Okay, okay, I get it… you have a black hole for a stomach… you don’t need to rub it in.” She sneered, rolling her eyes but smiling the entire time. 

He sighed in content, his head rolling to the side to look at me briefly. “What are you laughing at?” It wasn’t mean, not in the slightest. It was teasing and light, just as it used to be. As he looked at me, his honey eyes had that same smolder to them that I had missed for the last few months. 

I felt warm and happy as he looked at me like that, drinking in all that he was. I smiled a little more deeply and shook my head. “You’re just ridiculous.” 

“Hey, next time Koga tries to hit on Kagome, you should challenge him to an eating contest. We could even sell tickets,” Miroku teased, sighing as he looked between us. “Or you know, you could just tell Kag-”

I felt Inuyasha’s foot pass over mine right before it connected with Miroku’s shin. The latter man cringing in the middle of what he was saying, while the serene and warm look Inuyasha had had was replaced by a growl and a glare. 

“Tell me what?” I asked.

“That Miroku’s house doesn’t have an unlimited number of bedrooms, so, you know, you won’t have to worry about Koga trying to sneak you into one,” Sango answered, joining Inuyasha in glaring at Miroku. “Not cool,” she hissed in a hushed tone. 

I frowned. I had a nagging suspicion that that was not at all what Miroku had been intending on saying. I looked between the three of them though and realized that if I wanted answers, I’d have to ask Miroku when Sango and Inuyasha weren’t threatening his very existence with the weight of their stares. 

* * * * *

Miroku’s party was in a couple weeks and I was excited. I wasn’t really sure why he had asked my opinion regarding whether or not he should invite Hojo, because he had decided to invite our entire class, including but not limited to Hojo anyway and the few upperclassmen he’d acquainted himself with at Koga’s party. It made me a little nervous thinking about Koga and Hojo  _ both _ attending the party. 

I mean, wouldn’t it make you nervous? A wolf and a Cinnabon? 

I was still talking,  _ just _ talking, with Hojo and Koga was still talking  _ to _ me. And then there was the matter of my king. 

I was beginning to think things were actually going back to normal between us. It had seemed like my days of crying over his harsh words had finally come to an end and that we had reverted to our former, more dignified selves. The tell-tale thaw of spring had begun and the warming weather only added to my improved mood. I was downright gleeful as we rounded the end of the spring semester. 

Especially the Sunday we decided to hang out at a local park. It was probably the first sunny weekend day of the season. The weather was finally nice enough for me to wear a dress again, which I had done with unfettered excitement. I had twirled around in the silly thing all day, giddy at the freedom that came with the lack of tight jeans or multiple layers constricting my movement. 

Inuyasha and I had walked over to the park, enjoying the rays of blissful sunshine and catching each other up on what Sango and Miroku were doing. Those two were always scheming. We had learned in middle school that if we weren’t careful, Sango and Miroku even liked to ensnare us in their plots and games. As a result, my king and I made it a regular event to catch each other up weekly on what we knew. 

“Okay,” I began, “Sango is still seeing-without-seeing Kuranosuke. To my knowledge, she has been helping Miroku plan the party, but I think that’s just because she wants dibs on a room or a closet or something so she can battle with Kuranosuke’s tongue in private. They’ve been getting very  _ close _ .” 

Inuyasha grimaced at my description, “okay… Miroku is still pining over that red-headed chick that was at Koga’s party, the upperclassman?”

“Ayame?” I answered, walking next to him and looking over at the soft ground and the grass beginning to regain some of its former brilliance before the frost that had wilted it last fall. 

“Sure,” he murmured, utterly uninterested in her name, “apparently Koga has promised a keg or something. Miroku wants us to help him practice doing a keg stand.” 

I snorted, “really?”

“Yeah, says he doesn’t want to embarrass himself in front of what’s-her-face.” 

“Did you remind him that there’s nothing sexy about a keg stand?” I asked, chuckling at the thought of Miroku hanging upside down and chugging beer. It would have been quite the sight. Not at all regal in its manner, but funny as all hell. 

Inuyasha scoffed. He had stuffed his hands into his pockets as he walked next to me, meandering closely by me, only a few inches between us. Every so often I would feel that warm gaze I knew well drifting over to me before he quickly pulled it back forward as he spoke. It made my heart beat a little faster and made the cool air less bothersome as we walked. “If he wants to embarrass himself he can, I won’t stop him.”

“Oh come on! We’re his  _ friends _ ! We have to stop him,” I exclaimed, smiling broadly at him and rolling my eyes at his stubborn nature. 

He looked down at me for a brief moment, gold eyes mixing with mine as if the only place they really belonged was entangled in me before speaking again. “He needs to learn somehow!” 

“That’s not nice,” I murmured, swatting him playfully in the arm as we leisurely strolled through the large open space. Leaves and fauna were just beginning to break through, reaching for the sun’s rays. What had been a cold, barren park not two weeks ago, was suddenly beginning to come back to life. It was beautiful to witness and I had thoroughly enjoyed experiencing it with him. “What are the chances he gets hurt doing that?”

“Too low, if you ask me,” he joked. 

“You’re hopeless,” I commented, as we came upon the old rock wall that bordered part of the park. “Do you not like Ayame?” I pressed thinking that might be why he was so reluctant to stop Miroku from engaging in an activity that almost certainly would not go the way Miroku wanted. As I came up next to the wall, I lifted my leg, foot connecting with the edge before I pushed myself up and started walking along it, sighing happily as the gentle breeze skimmed across my skin for the first time in months. 

The air was rich and had lost that crisp edge to it that winter brought. Instead, I breathed it in deeply, reveling in the life it carried. In several ways, I, like the grass and the leaves, felt a sense of renewal in the season. 

“Kags,” Inuyasha warned, stopping for a moment as I hoisted myself up and began stepping over the wall. “Come on, you’re going to hurt yourself,” he cautioned, looking over me with that skepticism and slight annoyance that always seemed to follow him. 

“You’re avoiding the question,” I replied, ignoring him and walking further along the crumbling divider. 

“I don’t really know or care about Ayame,” he growled, walking next to me. “You’re going to hurt yourself, you know that right?”

“I’ll be fine!” I exclaimed, “stop worrying about me!”

“You’re the biggest fucking klutz I know! You won’t be fine. You’re going to trip and bust your face or something.” He bemoaned, sighing heavily as I trudged forward.

“Please, I’m not that awkward kid in middle school anymore, I have  _ some _ balance now,” I retorted, ignoring his scoff. I rolled my eyes, “anyway, do you think Miroku is really serious about the keg stand thing? We should definitely stop him if he is…”

“Not sure,” he grumbled. 

“You’re coming over to hang out with me before the party, right?” I asked, looking away from my feet and turning to find that his eyes were already on me. To be honest, I wasn’t sure he’d looked away at all. 

“Duh,” he chided. “Seriously, can you get down from there?” 

“Oh stop being overprotective, I’ll be fine! Gosh, you act like my bones are made of glass or something,” I responded sarcastically, placing my hands on my hips. “Funny, how you’re so concerned about me walking on a rock wall, an otherwise mundane activity, but you don’t care if Miroku does a keg stand just to impress a girl that is clearly more interested in Koga than him.” 

“Oh, is that why you wanted to know about Ayame? Just so you could keep tabs on your little  _ wolf _ ?” Inuyasha sneered, glaring at me before continuing along the path. 

“As if,” I responded, “you know what I think?”

“What?” He tossed it out and over his shoulder, his tone borderline sarcastic. 

“I think you’re just mad that I’m taller than you are,” I smirked, bending down to his level. 

“You’re not taller than me,” he stated flatly. 

“Yes, I am!” I cheered, walking along the wall without a care in the world. “I could practically sit on your head from this height!”

“Pfft, what is that supposed to make me jealous or something? I spend half the day staring at your dandruff-ridden skull, this view is much better.” I knew he was teasing me, even if he tried to frame it as an insult. Inuyasha’s jests were usually more biting than he intended them to be and I already knew for a fact that I didn’t have dandruff because I checked… all the time. Nothing worse than having black hair and dandruff. You could spot a flake from a mile away. The point being, I knew he wasn’t serious. 

“Oh, well then,” I muttered in response, leaning over so that my raven hair hit him in the face as he walked, before running my hands through it and shaking it out. “Here! Have some of my dandruff!” 

“Kags!” He exclaimed in surprise, reflexively swatting at my tresses as I laughed. 

I flipped my hair back, laughing as I did so, enjoying the annoyed look on his face and the tiny upturn of his lips that told me he was more amused than genuinely irritated. As I moved to steady myself though, he got his revenge. Or rather, Karma did. See, that wall was old. It was crumbling and falling apart. It was common for bits of it to blow away in the wind or tumble off with a light brush. That was why Inuyasha had been so nervous about me walking on it and why I should have probably heeded him. Instead, I had laughed it off, but then, after flipping my hair, while I attempted to use my hips to steady myself on the edge of the wall, part of the surface right below my feet slid off. 

It sent me falling forward before I’d even been able to process what was happening. I squealed, just as I fell into Inuyasha. To be more specific, I crashed straight into his chest right before I felt his arms quickly encase me so that I didn’t tumble farther down or “bust” my face as he had so eloquently put it. I remained there, huddled protectively in his shoulder, breathing muffled, arms pinned to my side, flush against him for a moment before he carefully lowered me down but not before he began barking at me for my totally foreseeable and otherwise preventable fall. 

“See!” He exclaimed, “Klutz!”

I stared up, blinking at him as he put me on the ground again, glowering down at me the entire time. His face was mere inches from mine and I felt mesmerized by his gaze up close. It was like I was staring into the sun and able to see the luminous solar flares as they flashed across the surface, dispensing additional heat and light as they passed. I could make out even the minute expansion of his pupils as he looked back at me. My heart was racing from nearly face planting and he was still chastising me, but my thoughts had nothing to do with either. 

I felt a current of energy crackle and pop, ricocheting through my body from when he held me and dissipating instantaneously when his touch was removed. 

“I don’t know why you always do this,” he continued, “you want to know why I don’t worry about Miroku? Because he’s an idiot but he’s not nearly as uncoordinated as you are. If he wants to make a fool of himself in front of Ayame, or whoever, then fine! At least he’ll only come out of it with a battered ego and not a concussion or some other shit.” 

I rolled my eyes, if only because I wasn’t sure what I would do if I continued to look at him that closely. “Well good thing I have such a  _ big _ ,  _ strong _ , man such as yourself to look out for me,” I murmured sarcastically before pulling away. It took far more effort than I had realized it would to put distance between us. It was a strange realization that caught me by surprise.

That and how I still felt warm. It hadn’t even been that great of an embrace, but it was like my skin was still giddy from the contact. That was new… that was undeniably different. Inuyasha had never been the overly affectionate type, but we’d had hugs before and they never left me burning from the inside out, itching to be back in his arms. As I stood there, I was conflicted and confused by that feeling. 

I didn’t understand it… but I had needed to explore it. To poke and prod it and gain a better insight into its dimensions. 

“Don’t patronize me!” He growled, “you could at least thank me for saving your dumb ass.”

“Yes, thank you so much my  _ liege _ for standing between me and the ground!” I teased, giving him a wide grin while trying to steady my heart rate. 

He rolled his eyes, annoyed. 

“How strong are you now anyway?” I asked, poking at his arm.

“Stronger than  _ you _ ,” he sneered. 

“I know that, but… you’ve got little noodle arms.” I joked, laughing as he glared at me. 

“Why? You want to test it?” He hadn’t meant it seriously if his dry tone was anything to go by but… yeah. I had wanted to test it. I had wanted to test a  _ few _ things. 

“Yes,” I responded confidently. 

He exhaled loudly and stood back. “Wanna make a bet?”

“Depends… what are you offering?” 

He stuck out his left arm, straight out, and just held it there. “You won’t be able to move my arm.”

“That’s not even your dominant arm… I can move it, for sure!” I challenged.

“Yeah, right. Go ahead. Give it your best shot.” He replied smugly, a tiny fang protruding out. 

I rubbed my hands together walking up to him, thinking that he was vastly overestimating his strength and that this would be an easy victory. Little did I know exactly what I was up against. I started as anyone in my position might, I pulled on his arm then when that didn’t work out as I intended, I pushed it. I put my whole weight behind it, the grass below my feet ripping along my shoes as I gave it everything I had while he didn’t even look like he was breaking a sweat. If anything, he looked  _ bored _ . 

“What the,” I mumbled to myself, “okay fine, let’s try this!” I stated, grabbing his arm with one hand and placing my other on his shoulder. 

“What the hell are you doing?” He asked a moment too late, as I bounced on the balls of my feet and flung half my body over his arm, thinking that the full weight of my body might be enough to get the job done. Spoiler, it wasn’t. It merely resulted in Inuyasha getting a face full of my ass, as I cradled his arm a few feet off the ground immediately regretting my decision because I  _ also _ realized I had no way of gracefully getting down.

“Proud of yourself?” He sneered, right before I slid down his arm, barely catching myself as I landed on the ground. 

I huffed, glaring at that silly appendage and more than a little impressed at his strength. I walked around it, examining his arm and poking it some more. It was downright unreal that he had that much strength in that lean thing. Though the closer I looked the more I realized that despite his odd eating habits - a.k.a. all the ramen and cinnamon hearts in the tristate area - he was almost all muscle. I pursed my lips, realizing that I may have erred in my assumption that he wasn’t as strong as he claimed. 

“Give up?” He asked, tone laced with a cocky confidence. “I told you you wouldn’t be able to move my arm.” 

I smirked then, an idea forming. I had learned a few things about Inuyasha over the years, but I had also picked up a couple from Miroku. The guy loved exploiting loopholes and as I walked around to Inuyasha’s front, I realized Inuyasha had inadvertently given me a big one. All I had to do was to get his arm to move… I had to be the  _ cause _ … but I didn’t have to force it to move through sheer will… No, I could get it to move in other ways. 

My new plan would not only allow me to win the bet but would also give me another opportunity to explore that heat that had clung to me and that current that had traversed my veins moments earlier when he had caught me. It was a win-win. 

I backed up, taking over a dozen steps away from him as his gorgeous head tilted to the side, silver hair following and gold eyes watching me with abrupt bewilderment. “Kags, are you giving up?”

“Nope,” I replied, leaning forward before sprinting at him. 

My poor king, he thought he’d known what my plan was. “Kags, this is a bad idea! You’re just going to close-line yourself!” He tried to warn, but I wasn’t worried. 

I knew he’d catch me. 

I ran full force toward him, but I wasn’t aiming for his arm. I had no intention of seeing if he’d move it at the last second or finding out that he hadn’t moved it. No, I sprinted at  _ him _ . I could see the nervousness pull apart his earlier grin as he contemplated moving his arm. I could also see the moment it clicked that I wasn’t aiming for his side, the way his whole face just twisted into further confusion right before I crashed into him, sending us both hurtling toward the ground. Just as I had predicted, Inuyasha instinctively wrapped his arms around me, to shield me from the still semi-solid ground and protect me from whatever pain may have come from landing on it. 

“What the fuck?!” He exclaimed, after crashing into the barely living grass. I was still leaning on top of him, my heart pounding at what I was sure was an unhealthy, borderline panicked, pace. It was practically thundering in my chest, beating so quickly and furiously that I could feel it reverberate throughout my entire rib cage and I swore I could  _ see _ it under my skin. “Why the hell did you do  _ that _ ?”

“You moved your arm,” I murmured breathlessly, barely paying attention to my answer as I fixated on the heat I felt under my flesh and the way that my skin seemed to tingle and flutter at the contact. 

“What?!” He asked, confused and searching me for answers, but noticeably not pushing me off. 

I pulled away, taking in a deep breath, “you said that to win I just had to get you to move your arm. Well…” I mumbled, turning toward my side and gaze falling on the arm that was still draped over my back. 

Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest before his cheeks burned red and he immediately threw his arm off of me to the ground. “That’s cheap,” he grumbled looking away from me and glaring at something far off. 

“But… I won,” I smiled wiggling in excitement after standing up. I extended my hand down toward him, he begrudgingly took it and I helped him up. He looked more than a little irate, so I slid him my emergency pack of cinnamon candies. Inuyasha immediately opened it, glaring at me, and tossing several of the little things in his mouth. 

“Ridiculous,” he commented, turning and heading back in the direction of my house. 

As we walked, he returned to updating me on Miroku, but I wasn’t listening. I was hyper-focused on the heat that still clung to the surface of my skin like a fog and the high that I had felt when his arms had been around me. It was… unsettling. It wasn’t the first time I’d felt a high like that. I had felt similar around Hojo. The problem was, what I had felt was so much stronger than I was used to. The euphoria and excitement I had had around Hojo absolutely paled in comparison to what had burned through me when my king held me. 

It was food for thought as we settled back into our normal routine and in the days to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU FOR READING!! LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK SO FAR 
> 
> This story will be updated every other Saturday until it's complete!! :) I know two weeks sucks. I overcommitted to a few things and am working as fast as I can. XD 
> 
> Anyway... I have a new story coming out tomorrow! You should check it out. :)
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr at: FandomObsessions016
> 
> xoxo  
> Fandom Obsessions


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